Minister Choo Mi-ae Mentions 'Possibility of Inspection' Regarding Channel A Reporter MBC Report

Appearance on radio program this morning with remarks
Calls for investigation also from ruling party

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae mentioned the possibility of an "inspection" in relation to an MBC report that a Channel A reporter from a comprehensive programming channel allegedly pressured the former major shareholder of ShillaJen, who is currently imprisoned, to provide information on the misconduct of Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, by flaunting his friendship with a senior prosecutor.

On the morning of the 1st, Minister Choo appeared on a radio current affairs program and said, "At this stage, the reporter's affiliated company and the prosecution officials have denied the facts, but since there is a recording and it is quite specific, I believe this issue cannot be overlooked."

She added, "We will first receive a report on the truthfulness of the matter, and if it reaches a stage where reasonable doubt cannot be excluded, it will be necessary to investigate the revealed issues through various methods, such as an inspection."

The previous day, MBC reported that a reporter from Channel A's legal team allegedly pressured the former representative of Value Investment Korea, Lee Cheol, the former major shareholder of ShillaJen who is imprisoned at Seoul Southern Detention Center on charges of 'financial fraud,' by flaunting his friendship with a close prosecutor to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and demanding information on misconduct that could be used against Chairman Yoo.

The reporter reportedly threatened that he could influence the investigation related to the former representative and prevent investigations into his family, but warned that if the information was not provided, serious consequences could follow.

Meanwhile, after the report was released, Channel A stated, "We have identified that the reporter received inappropriate demands to obtain promises of leniency from the prosecution regarding the former representative and immediately halted the coverage."

Additionally, the prosecutor mentioned in the report denied all allegations, stating that he was not involved in the ShillaJen case investigation, never conveyed investigation details to the media, and never made the phone calls mentioned in the recorded transcript.

In this regard, the ruling party has called for Prosecutor General Yoon's explanation of the allegations and the immediate commencement of an investigation.

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