Had First Court Meeting with Yoo Si-min, Han Dong-hoon... "Yoo Si-min Must Also Be Investigated According to Law for Democracy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don, Trainee Reporter Oh Gyu-min] Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, appeared as a witness in the defamation trial of former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation Chairman Yoo Si-min (63) and stated, "Whether it is Yoo Si-min or anyone else, investigating if there is a crime according to the law is democracy and the rule of law."

Before the trial held at 2 p.m. on the 27th under the presiding of Judge Ji Sang-mok of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 7, Deputy Director Han told the press, "I have never tracked accounts related to Mr. Yoo Si-min or the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation," emphasizing this point.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Director Han claimed, "When the investigation related to Cho Kuk started two and a half years ago, Mr. Yoo Si-min began spreading the absurd lie about account tracking," and added, "I believe it was intended to block investigations into his allies' power corruption and to retaliate against me."

He continued, "Mr. Yoo Si-min and the surrounding power figures are acting like a super-constitutional privileged class that must never be investigated," and criticized the former chairman, saying, "They are lying by calling the creation of a prosecution that covers up power like a hunting dog 'prosecution reform.'"

Deputy Director Han said that Yoo Si-min abandoned the intellectual mission to stand on the side of the weak, stating, "He called himself a government-serving intellectual, which is very deceptive, like a 'vegetarian who loves samgyeopsal (pork belly).'"

Regarding Yoo Si-min’s side’s claim that "the remarks were intended to criticize the prosecution and were not intentional defamation," Han said, "That is nonsense," emphasizing, "He specifically named me and precisely indicated the timing as from late November to early December 2019."

Meanwhile, Yoo Si-min was indicted on defamation charges by radio for remarks made on December 24, 2019, on the YouTube channel 'Alileo,' stating that "the prosecution looked into the accounts of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation."