"Director of Investigation Information Policy, a Position Executing the Chief's Confidential Orders"
"Unilateral Drafting of Accusation Letters Is Impossible"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jin-dong, the publisher of Newsbus who raised suspicions that a close aide of then Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol ordered the opposition party to file complaints against pro-government figures just before the April 15 general election last year, stated that there is social network service (SNS) evidence to prove this. He also claimed that it is unlikely that former Prosecutor General Yoon was unaware of the complaint ordering.
On the 2nd, the publisher appeared on TBS Radio's 'Shin Jang-sik's Shin Jang Open' and spoke about the investigation process related to the prosecution complaint ordering suspicion reported by Newsbus that day.
Earlier, Newsbus reported on April 3 last year that Son Jun-sung, then the Policy Officer for Investigation Information at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and a close aide of Prosecutor General Yoon, delivered criminal complaints and court rulings against pro-government politicians to Kim Woong, a candidate for the Future United Party (now People Power Party) member of the National Assembly.
According to the report, the targets of the complaint ordering by Prosecutor Son were three pro-government politicians including Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, and Choi Kang-wook and Hwang Hee-seok, then proportional representation candidates of the Open Democratic Party, as well as seven media personnel. The defamation victims were former Prosecutor General Yoon, his wife Kim Kun-hee, and Han Dong-hoon, a close aide and prosecutor. It is alleged that the prosecution commissioned the opposition party lawmakers to file complaints against pro-government figures in response to reports on the so-called 'prosecutor-media collusion' and suspicions related to former Prosecutor General Yoon's family.
When asked if there is evidence that Policy Officer Son prepared and handed over related materials, the publisher explained, "The court rulings were handed over from Policy Officer Son to Assemblyman Kim Woong. Since they were delivered via SNS messenger, the file of the court ruling shows the name 'Sent by Son Jun-sung' on it."
He added, "We have also secured evidence and investigative materials that can prove the process of the materials moving from Policy Officer Son to Assemblyman Kim, and that Kim Woong received them while being aware of their illegality."
Regarding how the complaints and supporting materials were obtained, the publisher said, "A Newsbus reporter acquired them from a source during the investigation process. It was not entirely a tip-off but rather information that came up during routine investigative conversations, which we then verified."
He explained, "The position of Policy Officer for Investigation Information is officially to assist the Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. However, in practice, it is appropriate to see this person as an extension of the Prosecutor General's authority. It is a position that carries out the Prosecutor General's confidential instructions or collects information on various sectors and reports directly to the Prosecutor General."
He continued, "It is impossible for someone in such a position to unilaterally draft a complaint. The complaint includes allegations against former Prosecutor General Yoon, Kim Kun-hee, and Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, so it is inconceivable that the complaint would be handed over without consulting or seeking their opinions."
He also said, "To hear former Prosecutor General Yoon's rebuttal directly, we attempted to contact him four times yesterday and today, stating that we would accept his rebuttal and hear his explanation, but Yoon's side blocked our reporter's calls."
Finally, regarding the former Prosecutor General Yoon's side hinting at legal action related to this report, the publisher pointed out, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon said that laws gagging the media should not be made concerning the amendment to the Media Arbitration Act, so it seems contradictory to take legal action just because of critical reports."
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