Prosecutors Request Arrest Warrant for Reporter Lee Dong-jae... Court to Decide Before Investigation Review Committee

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-dong, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The prosecution investigating the alleged "collusion between prosecutors and media" has filed an arrest warrant for former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae.

As the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee, convened at the request of former Value Investment Korea CEO Lee Cheol?who claims to have been threatened by Lee on the 24th?is scheduled to be held soon, the prosecution investigation team, which was expected to take the next step after reviewing the committee’s results, suddenly filed the arrest warrant. This has led to the court making the first judgment on this matter.

On the 15th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had filed an arrest warrant against former reporter Lee on charges of attempted coercion in connection with the "Democratic Media Citizens' Coalition complaint case."

A prosecution official stated, “The agenda for the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee scheduled for the 24th at the victim’s request includes whether to continue the investigation and whether to prosecute.” He added, “The investigation will proceed normally until the final disposition is reviewed and decided.”

He further said, "We will sincerely participate in the upcoming Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee schedule and listen to opinions."

The operational guidelines for the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee, a regulation of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, stipulate in Article 3 (Subjects of Deliberation) five items for review: ▲whether to continue the investigation ▲whether to prosecute or not prosecute ▲whether to request or re-request an arrest warrant ▲appropriateness and legality of the investigation in prosecuted or non-prosecuted cases ▲and other matters referred to the committee by the Prosecutor General.

However, Article 6 (Application for Convening the Committee by Parties Related to the Case) states that “parties related to the case (complainants, institutional accusers, victims, suspects, and their representatives and lawyers) may apply for the convening of the committee regarding items 1, 2, and 4 of Article 3, Paragraph 1.” Unlike when the Prosecutor General applies for convening, the issue of whether to request an arrest warrant under item 3 is excluded from the deliberation when requested by parties such as suspects or victims.

Ultimately, the prosecution’s position is interpreted as meaning that since the issue of requesting an arrest warrant for former reporter Lee or Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, suspects in this case, is not subject to deliberation at the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee scheduled for the 24th, the investigation team decided on the detention issue regardless of the committee’s schedule.

However, since the subcommittee of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, composed of citizen prosecutors, approved the referral to the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee, and former reporter Lee and Prosecutor Han are expected to submit statements and appear in person to present their opinions at the deliberation, the prosecution’s sudden filing of an arrest warrant for former reporter Lee is likely to spark renewed controversy over investigation fairness.

Previously, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office filed an arrest warrant for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong shortly after he requested the convening of the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee last month, but the court dismissed it.

The investigation team’s sudden filing of an arrest warrant for former reporter Lee appears to reflect confidence in proving the charges. If the court issues the arrest warrant, the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee scheduled for the 24th will likely become meaningless. Conversely, if the warrant is dismissed, Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon, who had requested an independent investigation amid a direct confrontation with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over this investigation, is expected to suffer a critical blow.

On March 31, MBC reported that a Channel A legal team reporter flaunted his friendship with Prosecutor General Yoon’s closest aide and demanded that former CEO Lee Cheol, who is imprisoned in connection with the SillaJen case, provide information about the misconduct of Yoo Si-min, director of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.

Subsequently, the Democratic Media Citizens' Coalition filed a complaint with the prosecution against former Channel A reporter Lee and an unidentified prosecutor appearing in MBC’s report on charges of intimidation.

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