Rival parties trade barbs over detention of ex-KCC chief at parliamentary audit

▲ Yoo Jae-seong, acting head of the National Police Agency, speaks at the agency's headquarters in Seoul on Oct. 15, 2025, during a parliamentary inspection of his agency by the Public Administration and Security Committee of the National Assembly. (Yonhap)

rival parties-ex-KCC chief

Rival parties trade barbs over detention of ex-KCC chief at parliamentary audit

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- Rival parties traded barbs over the recent detention and release of a former head of the now-defunct Korea Communications Commission (KCC), Lee Jin-sook, at a parliamentary audit of the National Police Agency on Friday.

Lee, who was removed from her KCC post as the KCC was reorganized, was detained earlier this month on charges of violating the election law and breaching political neutrality, but released two days later after a court granted her request for release.

During the parliamentary audit, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) accused police of repeatedly issuing summonses for questioning with the aim of detaining her.

However, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) defended the police, claiming that her detention was a legitimate response because she failed to comply with the summonses.

"Summonses are not supposed to be issued randomly but only when a suspect deliberately avoids appearing," PPP Rep. Park Soo-min said, calling it a "prearranged arrest."

PPP Rep. Lee Dal-hee also questioned the arrest, saying there was no clear risk of flight or destruction of evidence.

Yoo Jae-seong, the acting police chief, dismissed the accusations, saying the detention was "lawful."

"Given the short statute of limitations as it was an election law-related issue, the police needed to conduct a swift investigation," Yoo said, adding that Lee failed to comply with six summonses.

Yoo also emphasized that the police had briefed the presidential office about the arrest.

"The detention was lawful ... but what is regrettable is the timing and manner of executing the warrant, particularly the use of handcuffs," DP Rep. Lee Sang-sik said.

The former KCC chief is accused of breaching political neutrality by making partisan remarks on conservative YouTube channels in September last year.

Lee was appointed to a three-year term by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in July 2024.

Under the government's reorganization plan, the KCC was abolished and the Korea Media and Communications Commission was established instead as a regulator on telecom and broadcasting firms.

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