[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon criticized Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, who was brought to trial on charges of defamation against him, for denying the charges in court, calling it "regrettable."
On the 22nd, Prosecutor Han stated in a press release, "On July 24th last year, he appeared on a radio broadcast, specifically naming me and making false claims and even mocking me," adding, "It is clearly a false claim intended to harm an individual, and it is regrettable that he is now denying it."
He pointed out, "Yoo himself said he 'confirmed' the account tracking with his own mouth, but now he is trying to evade responsibility by calling it an opinion, which is inconsistent."
He also said, "I don't understand why he issued a lengthy apology letter in January this year, or why he said he would take responsibility in some form," adding, "I want to ask why his thoughts have changed since issuing the apology letter."
Earlier that day, at a trial held before Presiding Judge Jisangmok of the Criminal Division 7 at the Seoul Western District Court, Yoo's defense attorney argued, "In context, the criticism was directed at the prosecution and other state agencies, not at Prosecutor Han personally," and "Yoo expressed speculation and opinions based on facts he knew. Even if he mentioned specific facts, he did not have the awareness that they were false."
Yoo, on December 24, 2019, made statements on the YouTube channel 'Alileo' and in media interviews suggesting that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division had illegally tracked his and the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation's accounts in late November or early December 2019.
In response, the Legal Action for Establishing the Rule of Law Solidarity (Beopse-ryeon) filed a complaint against Yoo on August 13 last year for defamation by false facts, and the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office sent Yoo to trial on the 3rd of last month.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
