"'State Manipulation' Tablet PC Contract Forgery"... Byeon Hee-jae Indicted Without Detention

Claims of Manipulating Key Evidence in State Power Abuse
Conservative YouTuber Also Accused of Defamation

During the investigation of the Park Geun-hye administration's state affairs manipulation scandal, Byun Hee-jae, the representative of Media Watch who claimed that SK Telecom submitted a forged tablet PC subscription contract to the court as evidence, was indicted without detention.

[Image source=Yonhap News DB]

The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Heo Seong-hwan) announced on the 31st that Byun was indicted without detention on the 30th for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation) and other charges.

From May 2020 to May last year, Byun claimed 13 times that SK Telecom forged the subscription contract for the tablet PC of Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil, 68) and submitted it to the court as evidence.

In addition, Byun is also accused of defaming conservative YouTuber A. From September 2022 to January last year, Byun spread false information that "A covered the room with photos of influencer B and slept."

A prosecution official stated, "We will do our best to carry out the prosecution so that the defendant receives punishment commensurate with the crime."

This media outlet reported on the social section dated May 31 under the title <"'State Affairs Manipulation' Tablet PC Contract Forgery"... Byun Hee-jae Indicted Without Detention>, stating that Byun Hee-jae, the representative of Media Watch who raised suspicions that the mobile subscription contract of the key evidence in the civilian state affairs manipulation case, the ‘Choi Soon-sil tablet,’ was fabricated, was sent to criminal trial on charges of defamation for spreading false information about SK Telecom.
In response, Representative Byun stated, “The fact of the contract forgery of the ‘Choi Soon-sil tablet’ by SK Telecom is supported by various fact inquiries and handwriting analysis results in related lawsuits,” and “Based on this, the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Division is currently conducting investigations into prosecutors who are suspected of collusion with SK Telecom.”

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