The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) has decided to include commissioners who recuse themselves from deliberations and voting in the quorum required to open a meeting, while excluding them from the quorum required to pass resolutions.

At its 37th plenary meeting on September 23, the KMCC decided to apply the Ministry of Government Legislation's statutory interpretation regarding whether to include members who request recusal in the quorum to future commission operations.

On September 15, the Ministry of Government Legislation released a legal interpretation on its website stating that commissioners who have requested recusal can be counted as attending members when calculating the quorum required to convene a meeting.

However, the ministry added that it is fair to exclude them from calculating the voting quorum required to pass an agenda item.

Six commissioners stated their opinions on the decision that day.

Four members, including Chairperson Kim Jong-cheol, supported applying the ministry's interpretation, while Commissioners SOOYOUNG and Lee Sang-geun opposed it.

The dissenting commissioners, SOOYOUNG and Lee, argued that including recused members in the meeting quorum is unreasonable because it counts members who did not substantially participate in the meeting, and contended that the commission should take a cautious approach in light of potential legal disputes.

On the other hand, three members—Commissioners Ryu Shin-hwan and Yoon Sung-ok, and Vice Chairperson Ko Min-soo—expressed their support, stating that it was necessary to apply the ministry's interpretation to prevent an administrative vacuum at the KMCC and establish consistent standards for meeting operations.

Chairperson Kim Jong-cheol noted that while the ministry's interpretation is not legally binding, it carries de facto binding force, adding that respecting it aligns with the legislative intent of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Media and Communications Commission.

Earlier, at its 29th plenary meeting on August 21, the KMCC tabled an agenda item to hold a hearing to revoke the approval of YTN's largest shareholder change.

However, at the time, while Chairperson Kim requested recusal from the item, Commissioners SOOYOUNG and Lee walked out, stating they would not take part in deliberations and voting; with a total of three out of the current six commissioners absent, discussion on the item fell through as the commission failed to meet the required quorum of four members.

With the quorum issue regarding Chairperson Kim resolved through the ministry's legal interpretation, the agenda item to hold a hearing on the YTN broadcaster, which fell through on August 21, is expected to be tabled before the commission soon.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the KMCC imposed corrective orders, including business procedure improvements, along with fines totaling approximately 49 million won, on three IPTV providers—KT, SK Broadband, and LG Uplus—for refusing standalone IPTV subscriptions during online sign-ups in violation of prohibited acts under relevant laws.

(Photo: Yonhap News)