Gominjeong "Reported a thief, now they want to catch the reporter?"... Investigation of accuser in 'Ryu Heerim commissioned complaint' case

Yangcheon Police Station, Complainant Investigation Starts at 2 PM Today
Case Referred to KCSC for Investigation, Seoul Metropolitan Anti-Corruption Unit Probing

The police investigating the allegations of 'commissioned complaints' against Ryu Hee-rim, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Standards Commission, summoned Ko Min-jung, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea and the complainant, for questioning.

According to the police on the 29th, Ko, who is the Chairperson of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Media Freedom Measures, appeared at the Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul in the afternoon as a complainant and testified about the circumstances leading to the accusation against Chairperson Ryu.

The Democratic Party's investigation was originally scheduled for the 26th but was postponed once and held on this day.

Democratic Party Supreme Council Member Gominjeong is expressing her position as she appears at Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul on the 29th to undergo an investigation as a complainant related to the conflict of interest law violation by Ryu Heerim, Chairman of the Broadcasting Review Committee, who was reported by the Democratic Party.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meeting with reporters, Ko said, "While whistleblower identification is carried out like lightning, why is it that only now, without even conducting a search and seizure of Chairperson Ryu, the main figure behind the 'commissioned complaints,' are they questioning the complainant?" She added, "It's like reporting a thief but leaving the thief alone and harassing the reporter."

She pointed out, "Chairperson Ryu consistently feigned ignorance regarding the 'commissioned complaints' and 'self-review,' lied by claiming not to know even after being informed of complaints filed by family members, and is pressuring whistleblowers through internal audits and requests for investigations. This clearly violates Article 20 of the Act on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest."

She emphasized, "The police must conduct a strict investigation into Chairperson Ryu Hee-rim, who is degrading the Korea Communications Standards Commission into a review body for regime protection, and impose corresponding punishments."

Chairperson Ryu is suspected of having instructed family members and acquaintances last September to file complaints requesting the review of reports citing NewsTapa's 'Kim Man-bae - Shin Hak-rim false interview.' This allegation became known in December of the same year when an internal employee of the Commission reported corruption to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

In relation to this, the Democratic Party filed a complaint against Chairperson Ryu on the 5th with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office for violating the Act on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest. In response, Chairperson Ryu claimed that the related reports were based on illegally leaked personal information of complainants and requested an investigation in the name of the Commission to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.

The prosecution transferred both complaints to the Yangcheon Police Station, but the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency handed over only the Commission investigation request case to the Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit. The Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit, currently investigating the case, executed a search warrant on the 15th and is analyzing the seized materials.

This has led some to criticize that the police may be treating the severity of the cases differently.

Meanwhile, Chairperson Ryu requested an investigation in the name of the Commission, claiming that the related reports were based on illegally leaked personal information of complainants, and the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a search and seizure of the Commission on the 15th in connection with this.

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