Prosecution Requests Son Seok-hee, JTBC CEO, as Witness for Next Trial Date
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Freelance journalist Kim Woong (50), who was indicted for demanding employment and money from JTBC CEO Sohn Seok-hee by threatening to report on a vehicle collision accident, denied the charges at his first trial.
On the 14th, Judge Park Yong-geun of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 4 held the first hearing for Kim, who was charged with attempted extortion.
Kim is accused of demanding employment and money from CEO Sohn from August 2018 to January 2019 by saying he would report on a 2017 car accident and file a lawsuit for assault charges, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
At the trial, Kim’s side admitted to sending the text messages, KakaoTalk, Telegram messages, and emails mentioned in the indictment but argued, "These were not intended to extort or threaten the victim. The prosecution selectively excerpted messages, distorting the intent and facts."
Kim’s defense attorney emphasized, "The defendant did not show any attitude suggesting he would report on the passenger involved in the collision accident. Rather, he explicitly stated to the victim that he would not report it. After the assault incident, he only demanded a sincere apology and did not mention the collision accident or demand money."
He added, "Regarding the claim that employment at JTBC was demanded, at that time, CEO Sohn was in charge of news reporting and did not have hiring authority even after becoming CEO. Therefore, he could not be the target of extortion, and the attempted extortion related to employment demands does not hold."
Earlier, Kim had accused CEO Sohn of assault, threats, and defamation, claiming that while investigating a traffic accident involving Sohn, Sohn tried to prevent the report and attempted to bribe him with a JTBC reporter position. When Kim refused, Sohn allegedly assaulted him.
In response, CEO Sohn’s side denied the allegations, stating, "Kim illegally requested employment, and when it did not go as he wished, he resorted to threats," and filed a counterclaim against Kim for attempted extortion.
The prosecution, which investigated the case, summary indicted CEO Sohn last month on assault charges and referred Kim to a formal trial. The amount of the fine requested against CEO Sohn was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, the prosecution plans to call CEO Sohn as a witness at the next hearing. Kim’s next trial date is scheduled for March 25.
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