[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Channel A has acknowledged inappropriate reporting practices in the so-called 'prosecutor-media collusion' allegations involving its reporter and a senior prosecution official, concluding that there was no involvement from the prosecution or the company. Amid criticism that the suspicions have not been fully resolved, the responsibility for further investigation now falls to the prosecution.
Channel A conducted an internal investigation into the prosecutor-media collusion allegations and published a 53-page report on its company website on the 25th.
Since the 1st of last month, Channel A formed an internal fact-finding committee to investigate the allegations. The report stated that the incident occurred as reporter Lee voluntarily began coverage related to SillaJen.
Channel A submitted this report to the Korea Communications Commission on the 22nd. The prosecution also plans to review the report after receiving it.
◆ Reporter Lee: "The recording file with the prosecution official is just a fabrication"
Regarding the recorded phone conversation between reporter Lee and an unnamed senior prosecution official, which was identified as key evidence in clarifying the allegations, Lee explained that it was "just a fabrication." The investigation committee also stated that they could not find the recording file and "cannot verify who the parties to the transcript are."
The file contained remarks suggesting collusion, such as "It benefits both sides (prosecution and media)" and "I can convey that stance to the investigation team," making it a crucial clue in the investigation. Many anticipated that the prosecution's investigation would depend on whether they could secure this file.
Lee testified to the committee that "It doesn't require any special skills, and with six months of legal reporting experience, it only takes five minutes to create such a fabrication."
◆ "Letter to CEO Lee Cheol, personal thoughts based on experience"
Reporter Lee also became embroiled in controversy for sending a letter to Lee Cheol (55, currently incarcerated), former CEO of Value Invest Korea (VIK), mentioning the prosecution's investigation trends in the SillaJen case and the punishment of Lee's family.
According to the investigation committee, Lee explained the reason for writing the letter as "I thought the mindset of someone sentenced to 14 years in prison might have changed."
Regarding the letter's content, which included statements such as "The investigation targets will be Lee and political figures," "Six prosecutors have already been assigned," and "The family is in danger," Lee testified that "Most of these are information already reported in the media, and I wrote personal thoughts based on my experience as a legal reporter."
Lee also stated that the mention of Lee's wife being under investigation was "an expression of the fact that since she was the CEO of VIK, it is natural for her to be subject to investigation procedures."
◆ "No evidence found of prosecution officials' involvement regarding mention of Yoo Si-min"
The committee investigated why Lee mentioned Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, in the letter to CEO Lee and during a meeting with whistleblower Ji Mo, but found no evidence of involvement or discussion by prosecution officials or the company.
Lee said in this regard, "Many articles had already been published, and I thought it might be possible to make a deal with this," adding, "Later, Ji also asked a lot about Yoo Si-min first. He said, 'You and the prosecution are trying to take down Lee Si-min,' so I thought there was some consensus."
The committee also investigated whether Channel A superiors instructed Lee to investigate Yoo Si-min's alleged involvement in the SillaJen case, but related parties testified that "there was no such instruction." Attempts to recover phone messenger conversations between Lee and his superiors through digital forensics failed, so no objective evidence was obtained.
Meanwhile, Lee's side has rebutted the company's fact-finding committee announcement, stating that the content is merely speculative.
They also criticized that proper procedures and Lee's human rights were ignored during the investigation process.
Lee's lawyer issued a statement saying, "The fact-finding committee's announcement was based on a poor investigation and limited evidence, hastily drawing speculative conclusions, as they themselves admitted," and "Much of it does not correspond to the facts."
He added, "(Lee) has no involvement in colluding with senior prosecution officials before or after the reporting process," and "The voice recording played to whistleblower Ji Mo is not of a senior prosecution official."
The lawyer emphasized, "The fact-finding committee's announcement was based on some statements and expert evidence obtained before Lee received legal counsel," and "It is clear that it cannot be used as a basis for recognizing the facts."
The lawyer also revealed for the first time that Channel A submitted Lee's mobile phones, considered key evidence in clarifying the allegations, to the prosecution without consulting Lee.
The lawyer criticized, "Channel A effectively coerced the submission of Lee's mobile phones and laptops," and "Without prior consent from the party, they informed a private forensic company to conduct forensics and allowed the prosecution to carry out a search and seizure."
He explained, "On the 14th, Channel A submitted two of Lee's mobile phones to a prosecutor at a hotel in Seoul without his consent."
He expressed deep regret that "both the investigation process and the announcement of results were conducted ignoring Lee's basic procedural rights and human rights."
He added, "Mobile phones and laptops used by reporters are the most core and essential parts of press freedom, which is why reporters have physically resisted search and seizure of media companies," and "Indiscriminate search and seizure or disclosure of contents must be handled with great caution."
The lawyer also expressed hope that the prosecution's investigation will proceed in a balanced manner, noting that the prosecution has requested the return of Lee's two mobile phones to comply with proper procedures.
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