First Court Confrontation of Key Figures in 'Geom-eon Yuchak'... Lee Cheol "Certain of Connection with Prosecutor"

Key figures at the center of the 'geom-eon yuchak' (alleged collusion between prosecution and media) controversy: former Channel A reporter Dong-jae Lee (left) and Prosecutor General Dong-hoon Han

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The key figures in the so-called 'media-prosecutor collusion' scandal, in which a reporter and a sitting chief prosecutor allegedly conspired to uncover corruption among ruling party officials, faced each other in court for the first time. Lee Dong-jae, a former Channel A reporter who was indicted and detained on charges of attempted coercion, appeared as a witness, while Lee Cheol, former CEO of Value Invest Korea (VIK) and identified as the victim of threats, testified.

At the continuation hearing held on the morning of the 6th under the presiding of Chief Judge Park Jin-hwan of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1, Lee Cheol was questioned as a witness. Lee claimed to be a victim, stating that he was threatened by former reporter Lee Dong-jae to "report allegations of corruption against Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation." Currently imprisoned for involvement in the SillaJen stock manipulation case, Lee was selected as a witness last month and took the stand on this day.

The prosecution focused on proving how much fear Lee Cheol actually felt after hearing about the investigation from former reporter Lee. Early in the questioning, Lee was asked about his feelings when a letter from Lee Dong-jae mentioned the possibility of an investigation into his family. Lee responded, "At first, I thought the investigation (into the SillaJen case) was proceeding strangely, but from the second letter mentioning my family, it became serious," adding, "I actually felt discomfort and thought there was a 'political motive.'"

Lee also realized the gravity of the situation upon seeing questions in the letters about how many SillaJen stocks were received by political and government figures such as Chairman Yoo, as well as mentions of the Southern District Prosecutors' Office investigation status. Furthermore, he revealed that when his secretary, Mr. Lim, who was not a key figure, became a subject of the prosecution's investigation, he "concluded that a prosecutor was definitely involved."

The questioning of Lee Cheol will continue until the afternoon. In the afternoon session, the defense team of former reporter Lee will conduct cross-examination. The defense is expected to argue that Lee Dong-jae communicated benefits rather than harm, and that the statements were distorted through multiple people, making it impossible to establish guilt. For threats under the charge of attempted coercion to be recognized, there must be a specific communication of harm.

After the questioning of Lee Cheol concludes, his representative, Mr. Ji, known as 'Whistleblower X,' is also scheduled to appear as a witness. Ji is known to have reported the media-prosecutor collusion allegations to MBC as Lee Cheol's representative. However, he had not confirmed his attendance by the morning of the hearing day, so there is a possibility he may not appear in court. Previously, Ji expressed reluctance to testify via his Facebook, stating, "Even a witness request for Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon has not been made," showing his resistance to appearing as a witness.

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