Rain check: Broadcasting chief’s vacation blocked amid flood emergency

Lee Jin-sook, chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission / Yonhap

The presidential office has rejected a vacation request submitted by Lee Jin-sook, chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), citing the ongoing flood emergency and her role as a key disaster broadcasting coordinator.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said on Tuesday that Lee submitted her request for summer leave from July 25 to 31 on July 18 at 1:44 p.m. However, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik rejected it, deeming the timing inappropriate during a national crisis.

“At a time when disaster response is at a critical level, it is inappropriate for the broadcasting control tower to take leave,” Kang said.

Lee’s vacation request came as the country faced severe damage from heavy rains that began on July 16. The government had raised the crisis response level from Stage 1 to Stage 2 and elevated the heavy rain alert from “caution” to “warning.”

It is unusual for the presidential office to publicly disclose the rejection of a senior official’s vacation request. When asked, Kang said the disclosure came in response to media reports on the matter.

Appointed under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, Lee has clashed with the government over broadcasting reform legislation. On July 9, President Lee Jae Myung excluded her from a Cabinet meeting in what was widely interpreted as a sign of escalating tensions.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.