'Shinseongsik Prosecutor Denies Charges of Involvement in Handonghun Media Collusion Misinformation'

Shin Seong-sik, a research fellow at the Legal Research Institute and former prosecutor general (57), who is accused of providing false information to a reporter during KBS's 'false report on the transcript of collusion between prosecutors and reporters,' denied the charges at his first trial.

At the first hearing held on the 14th under the presiding of Judge Lee Geun-soo of the Criminal Division 3 at Seoul Southern District Court, Shin, who is charged with defamation by publication and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, and KBS reporter Lee (49) both denied the charges.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Shin is accused of providing false information to Lee regarding the allegations of collusion between Han Dong-hoon, then Minister of Justice (and prosecutor general), and former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae in June-July 2020. Lee was indicted for damaging Minister Han's reputation by reporting the related information as if it were confirmed fact.

Shin's defense argued that it is necessary to review whether Shin's statements were made with the intent to defame or whether false facts were told. Shin's lawyer stated, "The defendant was not aware that the article was in the process of being written," adding, "It appears that the false report issue arose because the journalists did not conduct additional verification of objectivity during the process of compiling the information gathered later."

Furthermore, Shin's defense said, "The report was made after three stages of processing based on the defendant's statements," and "A comprehensive review is needed on how the report was made from the initial interview notes to the publication of the article." They added, "Some statements may be considered factual assertions, while others may be merely expressions of opinion, which will also be clarified during the trial process."

According to the prosecution, Shin met Lee in June 2020 and said, "There was also coordination on the timing of the report around late March to early April," and "It is clear that there was an intention to influence the election," among other remarks.

Lee's side also stated, "The prosecution assumes the content is false because it is not in the transcript, but it is not easy to determine whether such content is false," and "Besides that transcript, there are several others related to Minister Han and former reporter Lee, and it seems the intention was to convey an overall understanding." They also cited as grounds that the report dealt with a public matter concerning a public figure and that Shin did not foresee that he would be held responsible for the information he provided.

The court said, "It seems to be a task difficult to verify the facts, so it is necessary to organize the positions of both sides on what needs to be confirmed and start evidence examination," and decided to hold a preparatory hearing on the 31st of next month at 5 p.m.

After the trial, Shin said, "Falsehood cannot overcome the truth," and "I will do my best to ensure that the truth is revealed through the trial."

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