[Exclusive] Police Send Lee Myung-su, Seoul Voice Reporter, to Prosecution Over '7-Hour Recording'

Sent to Prosecution for Violation of the Communication Privacy Protection Act
Not Sent to Prosecution for Trespassing and Violation of the Public Official Election Act

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The police have transferred the case of Lee Myeong-su, a reporter from Seoul Voice, who was reported for leaking the recorded phone conversation with Kim Geon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, to a broadcasting company.

According to the police on the 23rd, the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently decided to transfer the case of reporter Lee, who was reported on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act. Regarding the violation of the Protection of Communications Secrets Act, the case was transferred, while for trespassing and violation of the Public Official Election Act, a decision was made not to transfer.

The police judged on the 5th that there was a violation of the Protection of Communications Secrets Act in the three-hour-long recording submitted by reporter Lee’s side. The recording contains content from a lecture given by reporter Lee to Kim’s side at the Cobana Contents office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, around late July last year, as well as conversations with Kim Geon-hee.

Earlier, from July to December last year, reporter Lee provided MBC with recorded phone calls totaling about seven hours over approximately 50 occasions with Kim Geon-hee. Subsequently, MBC’s program “Straight” aired parts of the recorded phone conversations in January.

In response, the People Power Party filed a complaint in January against reporter Lee and others for violating the Public Official Election Act, alleging that the recordings were illegally made and provided to MBC. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which is handling the case, summoned reporter Lee as a suspect for investigation on the 4th.

Lee’s lawyer, Ryu Jae-yul, issued a statement saying, “The police acknowledged the charges because about three minutes of the over three-hour recording made at the Cobana Contents office captured reporter Lee going to the bathroom to smoke,” adding, “However, it is difficult to understand the reasoning that the intent to violate the Protection of Communications Secrets Act is recognized simply because content recorded during the approximately three minutes reporter Lee was in the bathroom was found within the over three-hour recording.”

Lawyer Ryu further stated, “The recording file could be very important evidence regarding the judgment of Kim’s violation of the Public Official Election Act, but if the recording is recognized as violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act, there is a problem that it cannot be used as evidence, and it also has the effect of preventing the reporter from disclosing the recording file externally.”