Police Launch Reinvestigation into Former Chairman Ryu Hee-rim over 'Petition Manipulation and Obstruction of Work' Allegations

Ryu Hee-rim, the former chairman of the Korea Communications Standards Commission, who is suspected of taking disadvantageous actions against a whistleblower, will be subject to a renewed police investigation.

Yonhap News Agency

On October 13, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had requested a reinvestigation into Ryu's alleged obstruction of work on September 25. According to the Criminal Procedure Act, when a prosecutor requests a reinvestigation, the police are required to comply.

A prosecution official stated, "We requested a reinvestigation regarding the case that was not referred for prosecution, as there is a need for further investigation."

Previously, the Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul referred Ryu to the prosecution in July on charges of violating the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act. However, regarding the obstruction of work charge, which was reported together, the police concluded there was no evidence and decided not to refer the case.

Ryu is suspected of having his family members and acquaintances file petitions requesting a review of news reports quoting transcripts of the "Kim Manbae-Shin Hakrim interview" by Newstapa, and of directly participating in the review process himself.

After these suspicions were exposed through a whistleblower report, Ryu claimed that the petitioners' personal information had been leaked, initiated an internal audit, and requested an investigation, sparking controversy over disadvantageous actions against the whistleblower.

On September 24, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office conducted a search and seizure of the Korea Communications Standards Commission office in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, in connection with this case.

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