Director General Prosecutor Han Moon-hyeok, who became embroiled in controversy after it was confirmed that he had drinks with Lee Jong-ho, the former Black Pearl Invest CEO and a suspect in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case that he was investigating, explained on the 26th that "there was no personal meeting."
That day, Director General Prosecutor Han said in a statement titled "Circumstances regarding the meeting with Lee Jong-ho," "I am sorry for causing controversy," and stated accordingly.
Director General Prosecutor Han said, "Around July 2021, while talking on the phone with a doctor acquaintance, I ended up making an appointment for that evening," adding, "When I went to the meeting place, there was a woman my acquaintance had been meeting and an unfamiliar man (Lee Jong-ho)." He then said, "My acquaintance said (about Lee Jong-ho), 'This is someone I met for work. Is it okay if he joins us?' so we all ended up dining together."
Director General Prosecutor Han said, "At the time, Lee Jong-ho was not a suspect in Deutsch Motors," and added, "(Lee Jong-ho) did not introduce himself, so I did not know he was connected to Deutsch Motors." He went on to explain that the former CEO was booked and detained on stock manipulation charges two to three months after Han met him.
Director General Prosecutor Han said, "We did not exchange business cards or contact information at the table," and added, "There has been no instance of meeting or exchanging messages with Lee Jong-ho privately after that gathering."
Director General Prosecutor Han had been investigating the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case at the prosecution and was seconded to the Kim Keon-hee special counsel team to continue the related probe. Recently, however, a photo of Director General Prosecutor Han having drinks with the former CEO and others was reportedly tipped off to the special counsel team. In response, Director General Prosecutor Han is set to leave the special counsel team and return to the prosecution on the 27th.