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Choi Si-joong, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, offered his resignation on Friday amid surging public criticism over a string of bribery and influence-peddling scandals.
“It’s time to leave and take responsibility,” Choi said at a hastily arranged news conference, referring to his aide’s alleged implication in the bribery scandal. “I hope that my departure will help the watchdog stave off prejudice and misunderstanding held by the public.”
Choi, one of the closest confidants of President Lee Myung-bak, has been under growing pressure to step down over the allegation that his aide surnamed Jeong received money from Kim Hak-in, an operator of a local education institution, and helped him get selected as a board member the state-run EBS station.
The aide is also implicated in another bribery incident involving lawmakers in charge of media policies in 2009 right after the revised media bill was passed.
Aside from the bribery scandals, civic groups attacked the regulatory policy of the KCC led by Choi over what they called “unfair” selection of new general-purpose cable broadcasters.
Since 2008, Choi has headed the KCC, the state-run agency that supervises the country’s telecommunications and broadcasting policies.
By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldcorp.com)
<속보> 최시중 '부하직원 금품비리' 책임지고 사퇴
최시중 방송통신위원장이 27일 위원장직에서 전격 사퇴했다.
최 위원장은 이날 오후 시내 종로구 방통위 브리핑실에서 긴급 기자회견을 갖고 "저의 퇴임이 방통위가 외부의 편견과 오해로부터 벗어나는 계기가 되고 새로운 도 약을 위한 디딤돌이 되었으면 하는 바람"이라고 밝혔다.
그는 또 "저로 인해 방통위 조직 전체가 외부로부터 부당한 공격을 당하거나 스 마트 혁명을 이끌고 미디어산업 경쟁력을 강화시킬 주요 정책들이 발목을 잡혀서는 안된다고 생각한다"고 지적했다.
이 같은 언급은 최근 자신의 측근 비리 의혹이 방통위 정책에 직.간접적으로 영 향을 미치는 데 대해 부담감을 토로한 것으로 해석되나, 측근 비리의혹 자체에 대해 선 여전히 받아들이기 어렵다는 입장을 갖고 있는 것으로 보인다.
이명박 대통령의 '정치적 멘토'로 불리던 최 위원장은 2008년 3월 방송통신위원 회 설립과 동시에 초대 위원장에 취임, 3년10월간 장기 재직해 오면서 방송통신 정 책을 주도해 왔다.
