South Korea’s Constitutional Court allowed opposition lawmaker Lee Jin-sook to attend Thursday’s parliamentary audit of the broadcasting regulator, while leaving limits on her remarks and a dispute over legislative authority in place.
The Oct. 21 order partly suspends the National Assembly’s decision to exclude Lee, a People Power Party member. It bars her from speaking on matters directly concerning her. The Korea Herald reported that the court had not previously paused an Assembly vote limiting a lawmaker’s role in an audit.
Last week, the ruling Democratic Party and several smaller parties voted to keep Lee out of the audit by the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee. They cited a potential conflict of interest, saying topics under review overlapped with decisions and official duties from her tenure as head of the Korea Communications Commission.
Lee and the People Power Party challenged the exclusion and sought an injunction from the Constitutional Court. The order will remain in effect until the court decides their dispute over the Assembly’s authority. Lee said she would attend the Oct. 22 audit.
