"'Geomun Yuchak' Whistleblower Absent Again as Witness... Court Holds Bail Hearing for Lee Dong-jae"

Former Channel A reporter Dongjae Lee, indicted in the 'alleged collusion between prosecution and media' case / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Ji Mo, known as 'Whistleblower X,' who was summoned as a witness in the so-called 'alleged collusion between prosecutors and reporters' case, was absent again from the trial on the 19th.

Ji did not appear at the continuation trial for former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae, scheduled for witness examination under the presiding of Chief Judge Park Jin-hwan of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1. The day before, he posted a letter of absence on Facebook, expressing his refusal to testify. Ji argued that since no investigation had been conducted against Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon, testifying in court could be unfair as Han might deny the allegations based on Ji's testimony.

This was Ji's second absence. He also did not appear at the previous trial, citing discomfort with attending since "no witness application had even been made against Prosecutor Han." Ji is represented by former Value Invest Korea (VIK) executive Lee Cheol and met former reporter Lee three times. He was the first to report the alleged coercive reporting to the media.

Meanwhile, the court conducted a bail hearing for former reporter Lee on the same day. The decision on release is usually made within seven days after the hearing.