Yoo Si-min on 'Prosecutor-Media Collusion' Allegations: "Suspect Yoon Seok-yeol's Deep Involvement... Try to Refute It"

Yoo Si-min on the Essence of 'Prosecutor-Media Collusion'... "A Case of the Prosecution Outsourcing to the Media"

Yoo Si-min, Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Yoo Si-min, director of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, stated on the 24th that the so-called 'prosecutor-media collusion' suspicion case, in which Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon and former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae (detained) allegedly conspired to threaten a source, is "a case outsourced (by the prosecution) to the media."

Regarding the possibility that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl was aware of this in advance, he claimed, "I suspect that it goes beyond mere awareness and that there is deeper involvement."

In an interview on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that morning, Director Yoo pointed to around February 5 as the 'turning point' of this suspicion and made these remarks.

Yoo explained, "At that time, at a ShillaJen event, I was photographed together with ShillaJen executives, and the media began to question me based on materials that likely came out of the prosecution's seizure."

He said, "What was prominently reported in the media on February 5 was that Prosecutor General Yoon reinforced the prosecution team investigating ShillaJen at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office," adding, "The phrases in the recorded conversation between Prosecutor Han and former reporter Lee, such as 'because of what you said then' or 'as I mentioned then,' are mostly presumed to refer to around February 5."

He continued, "The basis for pressuring former VIK (Value Invest Korea) CEO Lee Cheol was that the method of fundraising was crowdfunding," and added, "Each case can be prosecuted. There are several crowdfunding cases not included in Lee's indictment."

He emphasized, "Since they keep holding onto that, they can prosecute anytime by having someone file a complaint," and said, "I believe the prosecution informed former reporter Lee about this. It was likely outsourced around February 5."

Director Yoo said, "During the 'Cho Kuk incident,' when I was hosting '(Yoo Si-min's) Alileo,' the Supreme Prosecutors' Office monitored it in real time because I pointed out Prosecutor General Yoon's words and the prosecution's behavior every week," adding, "'We can't leave him like this. Let's find something,' so they even searched the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation's accounts."

He explained, "Since they couldn't do anything with evidence, they tried to connect things through testimony, brought Lee in as a detainee, and pressured him with additional indictments."

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is shaking hands with Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Busan High Prosecutors' Office, at the Busan High and District Prosecutors' Office on the afternoon of February 13.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He added, "Prosecutor Han is Prosecutor General Yoon's closest aide, a longtime colleague, the person who led the 'Cho Kuk investigation,' and the most important aide," and said, "I suspect that it goes beyond mere awareness and that there is deeper involvement. Because looking at the revealed circumstances, one can roughly guess whether they are carnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs."

Regarding the recorded conversation between Prosecutor Han and reporter Lee, he said, "Many things we only speculated about likely proceeded as such," and added, "Since this happened behind closed doors, it is impossible to reveal all the facts. So, like paleontologists who infer the entire shape of a Tyrannosaurus from a few bone fragments, we have no choice but to do the same."

On the part where Prosecutor Han said in the recording that "Yoo Si-min also spilled the beans," Yoo said, "I did not spill anything. Because it was my activity, I told the media about giving writing lectures to employees of the company where Lee Cheol was CEO, or delivering congratulatory remarks at the clinical center agreement ceremony at Busan National University Hospital in Yangsan. But they expressed it as 'spilling the beans.'"

Regarding the part of the recording that claimed he received 30 million won for delivering congratulatory remarks related to ShillaJen, he said, "It's absurd," and explained, "Prosecutor Han said that since I gave a lecture knowing that it could be used to boost stock prices beyond just conveying knowledge to the people there (at the agreement ceremony), it could be seen as stock price manipulation. That was the allegation against me."

He added, "I understand this because, in their worldview, their lives, and experiences, it would be unbelievable that a famous person like me, who served as a minister, took a train for nearly three hours and spent an entire day at Busan National University Hospital without receiving any compensation, only buying a train ticket and having a meal."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also said, "Looking at the Han Mank-ho case during Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's time, the late Han Mank-ho was summoned to the prosecution about 70 times, but interrogation records were made only 4 or 5 times. The other 65 times were to cause suffering. In the Roh Moo-hyun case, they did the same to Park Yeon-cha. During the Cho Kuk case, they took family members hostage. But now, with the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), this has become dangerous," and added, "Prosecutors have been doing this for decades, but now the times have changed, and if they make mistakes with their own hands, they can get caught. So I think they outsourced this."

He continued, "During the Cho Kuk incident, reporter Lee Dong-jae made nearly 30 exclusive reports. Channel A was the media outlet with the most exclusives, and Lee made nearly 30 out of 35 reports. I believe this connection was formed during the Cho Kuk incident when Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon was the general commander. At last year's National Assembly audit, when Representative Baek Hye-ryun (Democratic Party) asked about the group chat room, they said it was deleted. I think there was a trust relationship formed through that group chat room, which was used to continuously manipulate the media."

Director Yoo concluded by challenging the prosecution, saying, "Try to refute my words."

Meanwhile, the prosecution plans to hold a prosecution investigation review committee in the afternoon, inviting external experts and related parties to judge the appropriateness of investigation and prosecution regarding this case.

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