The passage of the three broadcasting laws and the defense budget, Choi Min-hee boldly confronts the divide by saying, 'This is not Lee Jae-myung's intention as president.'

Definition and Issues of Division

One of the repeatedly appearing frames in Korean politics is 'divide and rule.' This is a political technique that moves public opinion by emphasizing conflicts to induce internal divisions or by creating larger clashes than reality. Particularly, when the media indiscriminately reproduces this, the truth is distorted and the public good tends to be pushed aside. Recently, in the discussion surrounding the 'Broadcasting 3 Laws,' this divide and rule frame has re-emerged. Some media and political circles spread claims like "This is not President Lee Jae-myung's intention" and "Chairperson Choi Min-hee is acting unilaterally," seeking to highlight the conflict between the President and the chairperson of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee. However, this time it was different. Choi Min-hee, a member of the Democratic Party and the chairperson of the committee, addressed this frame head-on. Rather than avoiding or shirking the conflict, she corrected political misunderstandings based on facts and revealed the truth.

The content and significance of the three broadcasting laws

The term "Broadcasting 3 Laws" refers to the proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Act, and the Korean Educational Broadcasting System Act. The core of these proposals is to reform the governance structure to enhance the political independence and transparency of public broadcasting. There has been criticism that political influence has excessively affected the selection process for directors and presidents of public broadcasters, and these legislative measures aim to address that issue. On July 7, 2025, the Broadcasting 3 Laws were passed in the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Media Committee. While members of the People Power Party exited the meeting or expressed opposing views, the Democratic Party proceeded with the voting alone. The main points are as follows: First, the composition of the public broadcasting board has been expanded, and the recommendation bodies diversified. The number of KBS directors will increase from 11 to 15, while MBC and EBS directors will increase from 9 to 13. Recommendations for directors will involve not only parliamentary negotiation groups but also viewer committees, media academic societies, broadcast-related experts, and current industry professionals, minimizing the influence of political circles. Specifically, the number of directors that the National Assembly can recommend is limited to 40% of the total. Second, the process for electing the president of public broadcasting will introduce a presidential recommendation committee and implement a runoff vote and special majority system. This is a mechanism to prevent the election of presidents from being swayed by specific factions. Third, the independence of reporting and programming has been strengthened. A consent system for appointing responsible reporting personnel has been introduced for comprehensive and specialized news channels, and it has been legally mandated to establish programming committees with equal representation from both labor and management. Violating this regulation will result in fines, thereby enhancing its effectiveness. The Broadcasting 3 Laws reflect the national demand to restore the publicness and independence of broadcasting, going beyond merely adjusting the interests of political circles. Ultimately, broadcasting is a public good that represents the eyes and ears of citizens, not a tool of power.

The Reality of False Frames: The Distortion of the President's Intent

As the reform-oriented broadcasting laws passed through the National Assembly's Science and Technology Committee, various 'frames' related to this began to emerge in the political arena and among some media. The most notable claim was that "it is not the president's intention." In other words, President Lee Jae-myung was said to be passive about the passage of the broadcasting laws, and that Chairperson Choi Min-hee was forcing it through, putting the president in a difficult position. This narrative suggested conflict within the Democratic Party or a discord between the Blue House and the National Assembly. However, this claim was entirely false. During a phone interview on the YouTube program "Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult" on July 8, 2025, Congressman Choi Min-hee directly revealed the contents of her meeting with President Lee Jae-myung, stating that the president clearly said, "This aligns perfectly with my intentions. I hope this intention becomes widely known." Furthermore, the president acknowledged, "I know that Congressman Choi Min-hee is facing a difficult situation," confirming that the legislative push was in perfect alignment with his intentions. This statement effectively served as decisive evidence that completely negated the conflict frame. Despite the absence of any differences in stance or discord with the president, the opposition and some media distorted and exaggerated the facts for political purposes.

Choi Min-hee's bold response

There are two ways to resolve the conflict frame created by the political sphere and the media. One is to remain silent or take a vague position while waiting for the controversy to subside, and the other is to confront it directly by clarifying the facts and dismantling the frame. Representative Choi Min-hee chose the latter path. In an interview, he stated that as the chairman of the Science, Technology, Information and Telecommunications Committee, he has been closely consulting with the party leadership, the policy committee, and the presidential office’s chief of public relations regarding the promotion of the broadcasting three laws. He emphasized that the chairman cannot unilaterally pass legislation and that the entire process was conducted under coordination with the party, the government, and the presidential office. He also clearly refuted the claim made by Lee Jin-sook, the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, that "President Lee Jae-myung instructed me to come up with an alternative to the broadcasting three laws." He clarified that the president merely said, "Well then, why don't you present your idea?" and confirmed through the presidential office that it was not an official instruction. In other words, Chairman Lee Jin-sook's claim exaggerated and misinterpreted the president's statement, which was further distorted by the media's reporting. Representative Choi did not remain silent about this distortion. He stated, "The divide-and-conquer frame always exists in politics, but the truth will eventually come to light." Even when he found himself in a difficult situation, he did not evade political responsibility and clearly expressed his position to confront the issue head-on.

Political Leadership for Trust

The response of Representative Choi Min-hee was not merely a personal defense, but an act of preserving the dignity and trust of politics as a whole. In a situation where the opposition and the media were fostering political misunderstandings and highlighting internal conflicts over a bill established to ensure the independence of public broadcasting, he did not remain silent. Instead, he calmly explained the process and organized discussions with the president based on facts. Ultimately, politics is built on trust with citizens. Even if someone instigates division and escalates conflict through the media, someone must speak the truth for that trust to be maintained. Representative Choi Min-hee did not turn away from conflict by revealing the facts, he garnered even greater empathy. He was neither rude nor arbitrary, and he was honest. His close communication with President Lee Jae-myung, collaboration with the party leadership, and clear understanding and explanation of the content of the bill indicate the seriousness with which he carries out his political responsibility.

The Future of Politics Overcoming Divisiveness

The media reform laws are not just simple amendments to the law. They are answers to the question of whose public broadcasting it should be and a social commitment to uphold the independence of the press and political neutrality. To realize this commitment, someone had to make a courageous decision, and Representative Choi Min-hee played that role. We have seen too much politics that incites conflict. Now is the time to support those who practice politics based on truth, persuasion, and accountability. Representative Choi Min-hee did not just pass the media reform laws she demonstrated a political practice that directly broke through the walls of framing politics. Politics meets the people only when it speaks the truth. The essence of politics is not to stir up conflict but to pave the way. Representative Choi Min-hee's choice proved that. And we must remember and support such politics.