MBC "Prosecutors-Channel A Collusion Suspicion"... Prosecutorial Faction?

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] As suspicions of collusion between the prosecution and media companies have been raised, the ruling coalition has come forward with criticism. On the 31st, MBC Newsdesk reported allegations of collusion between a senior prosecution official and a Channel A reporter. According to the report, a legal affairs team reporter approached Lee Cheol, the former major shareholder of SillaJen who is currently detained in a detention center, and demanded that he "reveal the misconduct of Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation." This report has reignited the ruling coalition's 'prosecution reform' issue ahead of the general election.

The Democratic Party’s proportional representation party, the Together Citizens' Party, immediately issued criticism. On the 31st, Bong Jeong-hyun, spokesperson for the Citizens' Party, released a statement saying, "If the report is true, this will prove that the evil spirit of collusion between the media and authorities from the 1980s remains as collusion between the prosecution and media in 2020." He added, "This is an enormous case that confirms that political prosecutors are still conducting political operations in collusion with conservative general programming channels," demanding punishment.

The Open Democratic Party, formed by pro-government figures including former Democratic Party lawmakers Jeong Bong-ju and independent lawmaker Son Hye-won, also issued a statement on the same day, calling it "a fabricated false case that could only have happened during the Yushin era and military dictatorship." They further sharpened their criticism by saying, "This incident, seemingly planned targeting the period just before the general election, brings to mind the term 'prosecution storm' (Geompoong)."

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae expressed a cautious but non-negligible stance. In an interview with KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current' on the 1st, Minister Choo said, "If true, I consider this extremely serious," adding, "Although the parties involved have denied it at this stage, there is a recording and the details are specific, so I believe this is not an issue that can be overlooked."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

She continued, "After first receiving a report on the facts, if it is at a stage where reasonable doubt cannot be excluded, there is a need for investigations through various methods such as inspection by the Ministry of Justice regarding the revealed issues. We are taking this very seriously," she added.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.