Police Officer Who Leaked 'Kim Gun-hee Internal Investigation Report' Says "It Was a Public Interest Tip"... Prosecution Seeks 1-Year Prison Sentence

Admits All Charges at First Trial... Emphasizes Whistleblowing
Prosecution Seeks 1-Year Prison Sentence
Song Says "I Am Truly Reflecting"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] A police officer indicted for providing an internal investigation report related to Kim Gunhee, the wife of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, during his tenure as a prosecutor, admitted the charges at the first trial and asked the court to consider that it was a 'whistleblowing for the public interest.'

On the 16th, according to the Seoul Eastern District Court, Judge Koo Ja-kwang of Criminal Division 8 presided over the first trial of former police officer Song, who was prosecuted for leaking official secrets. The prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence for Song.

The prosecutor explained, "The defendant, who joined as a senior candidate in 2014, received materials around September 2019 from senior officer Hwang to specialize in financial investigations by studying actual cases." He added, "The materials were edited from a 2013 internal investigation report and included information such as Deutsche Motors' stock price fluctuations, daily transaction details, trading volume, transaction amount, media reports, and statements from the informant."

Song admitted all the evidence submitted by the prosecution and the facts of the indictment (specific criminal details stated in the indictment).

Song is accused of receiving an internal investigation report from the Serious Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency mentioning Kim from a fellow police officer in 2019 and leaking it to reporters from two media outlets, including Newstapa. In late October 2019, Song photographed the internal investigation report with his mobile phone and sent it to a reporter, and in early December 2019, he provided a printed copy to another reporter as a tip.

Song's defense attorney emphasized the public interest nature of the whistleblowing and appealed for leniency. Attorney Kim Hyun-soo of Law Firm Logos stated, "Song's disclosure of the case was not for personal gain such as promotion," and requested, "Please consider that it was a whistleblowing for the public interest aimed at verifying the moral integrity of the then Prosecutor General."

He added, "The crime of leaking official secrets is intended to prevent acts that undermine investigative purposes, functions, or national functions," and "This disclosure was made to maintain the integrity of national functions." Attorney Kim reiterated that Song's act of delivering the report was for the public interest and revealed that the matter has also been reported to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. He also submitted a petition signed by 192 police officers to the court on the same day.

In response to the court's question about whether he had anything to say, Song said, "At one time, I felt it was unfair that the law and principles applied only to me, but I realized that such behavior is no different from that of a suspect who asks, 'Why only me?'" He continued, "In the pursuit of justice and truth, I violated the legal framework and the professional ethics of a police officer," and expressed, "I sincerely repent."

The next trial is scheduled for April 15.

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