The People Power Party’s decision to nominate former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chair Lee Jin-sook and former Vice Chair Kim Tae-gyu — both accused of pushing through illegal “two-person” rulings during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration — as candidates for the June 3 parliamentary by-elections drew sharp criticism from media outlets, political figures and civic groups. Critics described the move as proof of the party’s media repression and warned it risks a voter backlash against an “arrogant opposition.”
If Lee and Kim win seats in the National Assembly, they could find themselves working alongside members of the Science, ICT and Broadcasting Committee — the same lawmakers who led hearings and inquiries into their actions. Although the committee held its final plenary session on the 7th, several members are expected to remain on the panel, increasing the likelihood of future encounters in the legislature.
On the 7th, the Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media issued a statement titled “The People Power Party Revealed Its True Face of Media Repression by Nominating Lee Jin-sook and Kim Tae-gyu.” The group noted that the party had finalized seven candidates for the June 3 by-elections, including Lee (Daegu Dalseong-gun) and Kim (Ulsan Nam-gap), and condemned the nominations as deliberate and troubling.
Referring to the April 26 broadcast of MBC’s Newsdesk, the coalition recalled the program’s criticism of the People Power Party’s nomination of former floor leader Choo Kyung-ho for Daegu mayor. The program argued that Choo’s conduct during the Dec. 3 emergency — including repeatedly changing the location of a party meeting and many members’ absence from a crucial vote to lift martial law — remained deeply troubling and raised questions about his fitness for office while under indictment for alleged involvement in the incident.
The People Power Party responded the next day with a statement accusing MBC of using its closing remarks to influence the election.
The Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media said nominating Lee and Kim was more than a personnel choice: “Putting forward figures who were at the center of public-broadcasting crackdowns, politically biased actions and legally questionable conduct directly challenges media independence and democratic norms. Threatening a news boycott against critical outlets is a clear violation of press freedom. This nomination signals an intent to downplay or deny the Dec. 3 events, pressure critical media and repeat past attempts to control public broadcasters.”
The coalition also criticized Lee’s first day as KCC chair. On July 31, 2024 — the day President Yoon appointed her — Lee convened a closed full meeting at 5 p.m. and, in about 95 minutes, pushed through appointments to public-broadcasting boards, including the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, which is a major shareholder of MBC. The group called it implausible that officials could have properly reviewed roughly 1,000 pages of applications from 83 candidates and made sound selections in such a short window.
Lee later appointed Shin Dong-ho, a former MBC announcer bureau chief, as EBS president on March 26 of the previous year. The coalition said Shin, while heading MBC’s announcer bureau from 2013 to 2017, participated in personnel moves that sidelined 11 announcers who joined the 2012 strike, amounting to unfair labor practices. The overlap between Shin’s tenure and Lee’s roles at MBC — including planning, publicity and news management — has also raised conflict-of-interest concerns.
The group pointed out that Lee, while suspended after the National Assembly approved an impeachment motion against her on Aug. 2, 2024, appeared on far-right YouTube channels and warned that “the Democratic Party and leftist groups will do everything you can imagine.” On July 8, 2025, the Board of Audit and Inspection issued a reprimand, finding she violated obligations of political neutrality.
On the Dec. 3 matter, Lee told reporters, “Don’t report as if the insurrection has been confirmed,” while Kim initially said he could not comment because the issue was under investigation and later framed martial law as a form of presidential governance.
The Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media argued that Lee and Kim, who symbolized the KCC’s contested “two-person” leadership, remain aligned with forces tied to the Dec. 3 events. It noted that on March 5, 2025 Lee told the Assembly’s broadcasting committee that legal proceedings were ongoing and nothing had been proven; in an April 22 interview with Hankyoreh she defended supporters, asking rhetorically whether “Yoon Again’s supporters” are criminals and suggesting they want former President Yoon Suk Yeol to receive a fair trial. Kim, who drew controversy for using profanity during the 2024 parliamentary audit, repeatedly declined to answer Dec. 3 questions and, after being elected head of the People Power Party’s Ulsan Nam-gap district association, asserted that declaring martial law is the president’s prerogative and that a hasty apology would be inappropriate.
On the 6th, the Democratic Party’s press office said, “The Democratic Party, together with the public, will resolutely block the reemergence of figures who sought to undermine constitutional order — including former Rep. Lee Yong, Choo Kyung-ho, Kim Young-hwan, Lee Jin-sook and Kim Tae-gyu.”
Major newspapers also criticized the nominations. The Hankook Ilbo ran the headline, “The Arrogant Opposition Faces Only a Voter Backlash,” while the Kyunghyang Shinmun called it “shameless” to nominate figures accused of trampling constitutional norms and democratic institutions while still asking for votes.
