The prosecution concluded its investigation into the so-called 'allegations of election interference and manipulation of public opinion' on the 27th by dismissing charges against former and current reporters from Kyunghyang Shinmun. This came 1 year and 8 months after the establishment of a special investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in September 2023. The prosecution has indicted 9 individuals, including the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, Kim Man-bae, while dismissing charges against 9 others.
On the 27th, the First Anti-Corruption Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Director General Lee Jun-dong) determined that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges against four journalists, including columnist Jeong Mo, from Kyunghyang Shinmun for violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation).
This case originated from allegations that journalists and political figures colluded to create fake news that defamed former President Yoon Suk-yeol during the last presidential election.
Kyunghyang Shinmun published reports on October 7, 21, and 26, 2021, stating that Lee In-sik, head of the Second Criminal Investigation Division of the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office, had covered up the investigation into broker Jo Woo-hyung during the Busan Savings Bank investigation in 2011. On October 7 and 21 that year, the online media Newsverse also reported similar content.
The prosecution deemed these reports to be false. According to the investigation by the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office in 2011, the loans in question were not subjects of investigation, and the tracking of Jo's accounts was first conducted during an investigation by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in 2012. The charge of 'loan commission of 1 billion won,' for which Jo was sentenced to prison in 2015, was also confirmed during an investigation by the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency in 2014.
However, the prosecution could not secure evidence that the journalists from Kyunghyang Shinmun knew the content of the reports was false at the time of publication, leading to their dismissal of charges.
With this decision, the prosecution's investigation into the allegations of election interference and manipulation of public opinion has been concluded. The prosecution indicted 9 individuals, including Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, and Shin Hak-rim, former chairman of the National Union of Media Workers, on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), while dismissing charges against 9 others.