On the 8th, the Board of Audit and Inspection warned Chairperson Lee Jin-sook not to violate the obligation of political neutrality.
In the 'decision document on the audit results regarding the chairperson's violation of political neutrality' released that day, the Board stated, 'The chairperson is an official who requires strict political neutrality and dignity, and must ensure that there are no appearances in influential platforms like YouTube that support or oppose specific parties or political organizations, violating the political neutrality of public officials or undermining the trust in the public service.'
According to the decision document, the chairperson made statements such as, 'The leftist group is a group that does everything we can imagine,' and, 'If we go to a majority dictatorship, it will not be democracy but the worst form of politics,' after a motion for her impeachment was passed in the National Assembly on August last year and appeared on YouTube.
The Board pointed out that she also made remarks such as, 'It is truly grateful to be called a warrior of conservatism,' and, 'A warrior is needed to fight the fake leftists.'
The Board noted, 'By naming a specific political party and opposing it or making politically biased remarks, this is an act that could undermine the public's trust in the Korea Communications Commission, and this broadly corresponds to a situation that poses a high risk of undermining political neutrality.'
Article 65 of the State Public Officials Act prohibits public officials from supporting or opposing a specific political party or political organization. The Board determined that the chairperson violated this.
In response, the chairperson stated to the Board, 'I will be more cautious in my remarks during external media interviews and strive to minimize controversies related to political neutrality,' while asserting that she did not violate the State Public Officials Act as she spoke solely in self-defense.
However, the Board argued, 'The public interest of preserving the political neutrality of public officials and the trust of the entire nation outweighs the private interest of protecting individual honor or resolving grievances through appearances and remarks on YouTube,' noting that it is difficult to see her appearing and speaking on YouTube as an appropriate manner.
Nevertheless, the Board did not file a complaint against the chairperson, stating that there were no facts regarding the misuse of authority or mobilization of agency resources or direct influence on the operations of the Korea Communications Commission.