Reporter Heo Jaehyun: "Choi Jaekyung Recording Secured from a Reliable Source"

On the 28th, reporter Heo Jae-hyun of Report Act, who is under prosecution investigation for defamation of President Yoon Seok-yeol by reporting false information ahead of last year's presidential election, appeared before the prosecution.

Heo Jae-hyun, Report Act Reporter [Image Source=Yonhap News]

The Special Investigation Team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Team Leader Kang Baek-shin, Head of Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1) summoned reporter Heo in the morning as a suspect on charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act and is currently investigating him.

The prosecution is reportedly questioning reporter Heo about the acquisition process of the so-called 'Choi Jae-kyung recording,' the process of reporting it, the content and timing of the report, and whether he conspired with a third party.

Before his appearance, reporter Heo told the press that there was no problem with his report. Regarding the reason for reporting the 'Choi Jae-kyung recording,' he said, "I heard it from a reliable source and received advice that it was sufficiently a conversation likely exchanged between the two parties after verifying through a third party," but he refused to disclose the identity of the source. He also revealed that he filed a complaint last week with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials against a prosecution official who described him as "uncooperative with the investigation."

Reporter Heo is accused of defaming President Yoon by falsely reporting the so-called 'Choi Jae-kyung recording' on March 1 last year, eight days before the presidential election, which claimed that "President Yoon intentionally favored broker Jo Woo-hyung of the Daejang-dong case while serving as head of the Central Investigation Division 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the Busan Savings Bank case investigation."

Although the person appearing in the recording is Choi, an aide to Kim Byung-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the prosecution believes that what he said to Lee Cheol-soo, cousin of Jo Woo-hyung, was distorted to appear as if it was said by former Choi Jae-kyung, head of the Central Investigation Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and President Yoon's superior, and was reported with the intent to defame President Yoon.

Reporter Heo requested the convening of the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee, arguing that it is unfair for the prosecution to investigate him on defamation charges, which are not subject to direct prosecution investigation. However, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Citizens' Committee held a preliminary review meeting the day before and dismissed the agenda requested by reporter Heo.

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