Prosecutors' Office Also Accessed Communications of Mainichi Reporter... Third Japanese Media Outlet After Asahi and Tokyo Shimbun

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Gong-su-cheo) has been revealed to have collected communication data of a Korean reporter affiliated with the Seoul bureau of the Japanese Mainichi Shimbun. This marks the third case among Japanese media outlets, following Asahi and Tokyo Shimbun.

The Mainichi Shimbun reported in its April 4th print edition that Gong-su-cheo had collected personal information of one Korean reporter belonging to its Seoul bureau.

After the issue of Gong-su-cheo’s collection of communication data surfaced, the reporter in question inquired with their mobile phone service provider on March 28th whether there had been any requests for personal information by investigative agencies over the past year, and received the results on the previous day (April 3rd).

According to the report, the telecom company provided information such as the reporter’s name, resident registration number, address, and mobile phone subscription date on August 6th of last year at the request of Gong-su-cheo. Gong-su-cheo stated that the communication data was collected for reasons including "information gathering necessary to prevent harm to trials, investigations, execution of sentences, or national security."

In a comment published in the same edition under the name of the president’s office public relations officer, the Mainichi Shimbun expressed that "the explanation of 'investigative necessity' alone cannot dispel concerns that 'freedom of the press' is being threatened," and repeatedly demanded additional explanations regarding the inquiry’s circumstances and reasons, as well as measures to prevent recurrence from Gong-su-cheo.

Meanwhile, separate from Gong-su-cheo, the Mainichi Shimbun also confirmed that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had accessed personal information of a Korean reporter from its Seoul bureau in May of last year. The Seoul police official verbally explained on April 3rd that the inquiry was made "in the process of investigating the call contacts of a suspect in a case related to the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations."

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