Han Dong-hoon Strikes Back, Lee Dong-jae in Defense Mode... Investigation Team Faces Difficulties (Summary 2)

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The prosecution investigating the 'alleged collusion between prosecutors and media' has effectively concluded the investigation by indicting former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae without uncovering any conspiracy charges involving Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon. Chief Prosecutor Han countered by stating, "I hope the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office will conduct a proper investigation even at this stage," while former reporter Lee declared he would "not respond to the prosecution's investigation," shifting into a defensive stance.

On the 5th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung) indicted former reporter Lee on charges of attempted coercion under the Criminal Act, detaining him, and indicted his junior reporter Baek on the same charges without detention.

Former reporter Lee is accused of sending five letters to Lee Cheol, former CEO of Value Invest Korea (VIK) and major shareholder of SillaJen, threatening him by mentioning the possibility of an investigation into his family and demanding that he report corruption allegations against Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.

The investigation team did not include any conspiracy charges involving Chief Prosecutor Han in the indictment. Although a court-issued search warrant was obtained for Chief Prosecutor Han's mobile phone, the investigation has been prolonged because forensic analysis could not begin due to non-cooperation, such as refusal to disclose the password.

Former Channel A reporter Dong-jae Lee (left) and Prosecutor General Dong-hoon Han

◆ Chief Prosecutor Han: "Conduct a proper investigation even at this stage" = After the prosecution's decision to indict former reporter Lee, Chief Prosecutor Han's side released a statement saying, "Since there was no conspiracy from the beginning, it is natural that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office did not specify conspiracy in Lee Dong-jae's indictment," and requested, "Please refrain from distorting this case as 'prosecutor-media collusion.'"

Regarding criticisms of non-cooperation during the investigation, they rebutted, "We responded to the investigation according to legally prescribed procedures," and emphasized, "We now request a proper investigation into the 'operations' or 'collusion between power and media' involving MBC, whistleblowers, politicians, and others, which the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has not yet pursued."

They further stated, "If the investigation team, including Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Seong-yoon, is not involved in the 'KBS false report,' we ask for at least a minimal explanation and request that Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung, who committed abuse of authority, be excluded from the investigation."

Moreover, on the 4th, Chief Prosecutor Han took countermeasures by filing a damages lawsuit against eight individuals, including the head of KBS News. This was in response to KBS's report on the 18th of last month, which suggested a conspiracy between Chief Prosecutor Han and former reporter Lee based on recorded conversations.

In response, Chief Prosecutor Han's side issued a statement asserting, "KBS's report is a complete fabrication, as if a conversation that never actually existed took place," and criticized it as "pure fiction, with malicious timing and content." On the 19th, the day after the report, former reporter Lee's side disclosed parts of the recordings, and Chief Prosecutor Han filed a defamation complaint against the reporter and related investigative officials with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.

Currently, Chief Prosecutor Han's position is that he will not respond to summons from the prosecution until the allegations that a senior official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office was involved in the KBS report are clarified. His legal team stated in a press release, "A key official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office was directly involved in the KBS report that falsely defamed Chief Prosecutor Han and is suspected of having seen investigation team materials, both internally and externally," and requested "a minimal reasonable explanation that the investigation team is unrelated to this."

◆ Former reporter Lee: "Will not respond to any prosecution investigation" = Former reporter Lee, considered the key suspect in this case, declared after the prosecution's decision to indict him, "I will not respond to any future summons or additional evidence collection by the prosecution." He intends to resolve the matter in an open trial.

Lee's side stated in a press release, "Considering the acquittal intentions of recent Supreme Court rulings, it is clear that this case does not involve a specific threat of harm sufficient to suppress or overpower the other party's will," and added, "We have cooperated with the investigation by attending nine summonses and observing four forensic procedures, and since the issuance of the arrest warrant, there has been no new meaningful evidence or change in position."

Regarding the prosecution's decision to indict junior reporter A without detention, they said, "Charging a junior reporter as an accomplice is inconsistent with the evidence and constitutes an abuse of prosecutorial authority."

Since the case has been brought to trial, they expressed their intention to focus on exercising their defense rights. Lee's side stated, "We will not respond to any future prosecution summons or additional evidence collection. We will clearly resolve the dispute in an open trial."

Regarding the prosecution's statement that it will "continue the investigation" into the alleged conspiracy with Chief Prosecutor Han, they expressed regret and concern, saying, "Despite this not being a case of collusion between the prosecution and the media, we regret and worry that the prosecution ignored the 'overwhelming recommendation' of the investigation review committee and decided to continue the investigation."

◆ Was there no substance to the 'prosecutor-media collusion'? = The prosecution's decision on this day has sparked criticism that the investigation may have been excessive. Although the investigation team superficially stated it would continue investigating related parties including Chief Prosecutor Han, it is difficult to maintain investigative momentum.

Considering the intervention of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's directive and the physical altercation during the seizure of Chief Prosecutor Han's mobile phone SIM card, legal circles analyze that the investigation team has gained almost nothing.

Additionally, it is known that there were internal disagreements within the investigation team regarding the direction and handling of the investigation. In particular, prosecutors below the deputy chief level reportedly all opposed applying conspiracy charges to Chief Prosecutor Han.

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