The TamSa, Cellist Witness Request in Civil Lawsuit Over 'Cheongdam-dong Drinking Party Suspicion'

The YouTube media outlet ‘Simin Eonron The Tam-sa,’ which reported the ‘Cheongdam-dong drinking party’ allegations, has requested the cellist who triggered the allegations as a witness in the related civil lawsuit trial.

Former CEO Kang Jin-gu of The Thamsa. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 23rd, the representative for Kang Jin-gu, former CEO of The Tam-sa (currently Open Sympathy TV), stated at the civil lawsuit hearing for video deletion and damages held at the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 25 (Presiding Judge Song Seung-woo) that day, "We request the cellist and other informants as witnesses." The intention is to question them to prove that the allegations are not false.

However, the court responded, "If requested, they will be accepted as witnesses, but it is uncertain whether they will be summoned."

This lawsuit was filed by Mr. Lee, the operator of the music cafe identified as the location of the Cheongdam-dong drinking party allegations, against former CEO Kang and others.

The Cheongdam-dong drinking party allegations involve claims that on July 19-20, 2022, President Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party (then Minister of Justice), had a late-night drinking party at a high-end bar in Cheongdam-dong with about 30 lawyers from Kim & Chang law firm.

Previously, Kim Ui-gyeom, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, first raised the allegations during the comprehensive audit of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee in October 2022. At that time, Kim disclosed a phone call recording in which the cellist, who was said to have been at the drinking party, mentioned these details to her ex-boyfriend.

After The Tam-sa uploaded a video containing the phone call on its channel, Mr. Lee filed a lawsuit demanding the deletion of the video and 550 million won in damages. The police judged the allegations to be false at the end of last year and referred Kang and other related personnel of The Tam-sa to the prosecution on charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.

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