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Former KCC chair Lee arrested over YouTube comments

Published: 02 Oct. 2025, 17:58

Former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-sook speaks to reporters at the KCC Gwacheon office in Gyeonggi on Sept. 29. [NEWS1]

Police arrested former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-sook on Thursday on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and the State Public Officials Act.

The Yeongdeungpo Police Precinct in Seoul executed a warrant for Lee’s arrest at her home. Authorities sought the warrant after Lee failed to comply with multiple summons.

Lee was reported to police by Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers sitting on the parliamentary Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee over comments she made during an appearance on a conservative YouTube channel following her impeachment by the National Assembly in August last year.

The DP took issue with her remarks, including “the left will do anything you can imagine” and “when you go down the road of majority dictatorship, you’re looking at the worst form of politics — not democracy.”

In July, the Board of Audit and Inspection issued a warning against Lee for breaching political neutrality required of public officials.

Lee was officially dismissed from her position on Wednesday with the dissolution of the KCC. The Korea Communications Commission was formally replaced by the newly established Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) with the enforcement of a new law passed by the National Assembly and Cabinet.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]