◀ Anchor ▶
Today, a confirmation hearing was held at the National Assembly for Lee Jong-seok, a candidate for Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, and a battle broke out between the ruling and opposition parties over President Yoon Seok-yeol’s personal relationship as a college classmate.
Regarding the Korea Communications Standards Commission’s recent deliberation on fake news, candidate Lee expressed his position that “it is not appropriate to exercise administrative authority that infringes on freedom of the press.”
Reporter Yoo-kyung Lee covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
President Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jong-seok, a classmate of Seoul National University’s Law Department, Class of 1979, candidate for Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.
In 2020, when then Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who was subject to disciplinary action, filed a constitutional petition against the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, he avoided the case on the grounds that he was a college classmate.
During the hearing, the opposition party highlighted concerns about political neutrality.
[이수진 의원/더불어민주당]
″In addition to my personal relationship as a classmate at Seoul National University Law School, I don’t know if it is a thank you for serving as the presiding judge in the impeachment case against Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min and deciding to dismiss it… ″
On the other hand, ruling party lawmakers defended candidate Lee, saying that there were 120 lawyers who were in the same group as President Yoon.
[서범수 의원/국민의힘]
“Our candidate isn’t going to do that, is he? For example, as a friend, I would be a little more biased, but I don’t think so…”
[이종석/헌법재판소장 후보자]
″I think it’s obvious.″
The opposition party also pointed out that this candidate faked a transfer six times and made a profit of 3.6 billion won by moving apartments.
[김용민 의원/더불어민주당]
″If I were to say that the candidate’s case was assigned to a criminal trial, wouldn’t he have been found guilty?″
[이종석/헌법재판소장 후보자]
“Yes that’s right.”
[김용민 의원/더불어민주당]
″Are you not willing to resign?″
[이종석/헌법재판소장 후보자]
″Yeah, that’s not the point.″
Candidate Lee expressed his opinion that it was inappropriate for the Korea Communications Standards Commission to create a fake news review center during the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to review reports.
[이종석/헌법재판소장 후보자]
″I don’t think any exercise of executive power that violates free speech is appropriate.″
Last month, Lee Kyun-yong, a candidate for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, failed to run, and former Constitutional Court Chief Justice Yoo Nam-seok retired, leaving the two judicial institutions vacant.
Both the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court can be appointed only with the consent of the National Assembly, and the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Chief Justice candidate Cho Hee-dae has not yet been scheduled.
This is Lee Yu-kyung from MBC News.
Video editing: Jo Min-woo
2023-11-13 13:06:42
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