The National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee adopted a report on the confirmation hearing for Go Gwang-heon (고광헌), nominee for the inaugural chair of the Broadcast Media Communications Review Commission, at a full committee meeting on Monday. The report was approved under the Democratic Party's lead, with People Power Party lawmakers not taking part in the vote.

The hearing report will be sent to the government without a vote at a plenary session. If President Lee Jae-myung approves it, Go will formally take office as the commission's first chair.

People Power Party lawmakers said they would not take part in the vote after floor spokesperson Choi Hyung-du (최형두) made a representative statement, and then left the meeting. Choi voiced opposition, saying, "We can never overlook the repeated attempts within the Korea Communications Standards Commission to exclude members recommended by parliamentary parties under the public mandate."

On the nominee's qualifications, he said Go "has shown ideological bias" and stressed, "This is not something that can be taken lightly for a leader of a review body that must guarantee freedom of expression and uphold political neutrality to set fair standards for deliberation."

He also criticised the system behind the new commission. Choi said concerns have been raised at home and abroad that the Korea Communications Standards Commission could be turned into a censorship body subordinate to the government and political power, and pointed out that the new commission's chair became a political appointee who takes direction from the president despite being a private citizen.

Go is 70 this year and is from Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province. He joined the Hankyoreh newspaper in 1988 and later served as chief executive officer and president of Seoul Shinmun. He was elected as chair nominee at the commission's first full meeting in March.

The meeting reached a quorum with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young (정동영) and Planning and Budget Office Minister Park Hong-geun (박홍근) attending as members of the committee from the Democratic Party. Ten Democratic Party lawmakers supported approval, along with Lee Hae-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party and Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, among others.