Cellist in "Cheongdam-dong Drinking Party" Allegation Files Complaint Against Former The Tamsa CEO Kang Jinkoo and Others

Charges Include Attempted Coercion and Defamation

The cellist who made the statement that sparked the so-called 'Han Donghoon Cheongdam-dong drinking party' false allegation has filed a police complaint against Kang Jingoo, former CEO of The Tamsa, and two others including a YouTuber.

Kang Jingoo, former CEO of The Tamsa. Yonhap News

On October 31, Lee Jeil, the attorney representing cellist A, announced that he had filed a complaint at Seoul Seocho Police Station against Kang and two others on charges of attempted coercion and defamation by spreading false information under the Information and Communications Network Act.

The 'Cheongdam-dong drinking party' allegation refers to claims that, on July 19, 2022, over 30 people including then-President Yoon Suk-yeol, Minister of Justice Han Donghoon, more than 30 attorneys from Kim & Chang, and Lee Sechang, then-acting president of the Korea Freedom Federation, gathered and drank late into the night at a bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-kyeom and The Tamsa first raised these allegations in October 2022.

At the time, Kim cited a phone call in which A told her ex-boyfriend, "I saw Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Donghoon at the drinking party." However, in later police investigations, A testified that she had lied to her ex-boyfriend, and the allegation was revealed to be untrue.

Subsequently, Kang was indicted without detention in September last year and is currently on trial for allegedly conspiring with A's ex-boyfriend to coerce A into giving an interview as if the allegations were true. A's representative stated, "Since the 26th, Kang and others have continuously made false statements through YouTube broadcasts, suggesting that A fabricated evidence. The seriousness and gravity of these remarks are very significant," explaining the grounds for the complaint.

Kang responded, "An analysis of the 1,200 navigation files extracted from the cellist's mobile phone revealed, for example, that a distance of 9.8 kilometers was allegedly traveled in one minute, which clearly shows a large number of manipulated facts. However, who manipulated this digital evidence must be determined through investigation."

[Follow-up Report] Cellist's complaint against Kang Jingoo and others over 'Cheongdam-dong drinking party' allegations concluded as dismissal (no charges filed) (Additional content as of April 3, 2026)

The Asia Business Daily reported on October 31, 2025, in an article titled <'Cheongdam-dong drinking party' allegations: Cellist files complaint against former The Tamsa CEO Kang Jingoo and others> that attorney Lee Jeil, legal representative for cellist A, had filed a complaint with the Seoul Seocho Police Station against Kang and two others for defamation by spreading false information and attempted coercion.
Regarding this matter, the complainant did not respond to police requests to appear after the complaint was filed, and the Seoul Bangbae Police Station announced that it had decided to dismiss (not pursue) the case on February 6, 2026.
This report has been updated in accordance with mediation by the Press Arbitration Commission.

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