Calls for Reinvestigation of 'Media-Political Collusion' Allegations Involving Choi Kang-wook and Hwang Hee-seok
The court has ruled that the prosecution's decision not to indict Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon in connection with the so-called 'Channel A Coercion Attempt' case, also known as the 'Prosecutor-Reporter Collusion' scandal, was justified.
According to the legal community on the 6th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 30 (Presiding Judges Kang Min-gu, Choi Hyun-jong, Kang Hyo-won) dismissed the rehearing petition filed last month on the 28th by former Value Invest Korea (VIK) CEO Lee Cheol, who challenged the prosecution's non-indictment decision against Minister Han.
The court stated the reason for dismissal, saying, "Upon reviewing the records, the prosecutor's decision not to indict is justified," and "This rehearing petition lacks merit."
A rehearing petition is a system where the complainant or accuser requests the court to reconsider the prosecution's decision not to indict. If the court accepts the petition, the prosecution must file charges.
Minister Han was suspected of conspiring with former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae to investigate corruption involving figures from the Moon Jae-in administration, including former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation Chairman Yoo Si-min, based on allegations from former CEO Lee Cheol.
However, in August 2020, the prosecution indicted former reporter Lee on charges of attempted coercion but did not indict Minister Han.
Then, in April last year, the prosecution cleared Minister Han of charges, stating, "After comprehensively reviewing the collected evidence, there is no basis to infer that the suspect conspired to threaten during the investigation."
Former reporter Lee, who was brought to trial, was acquitted in both the first and second trials. In January this year, the prosecution gave up on appealing after going through the Public Prosecution Review Committee, finalizing the acquittal.
As the 'Channel A case' is being resolved, voices within the prosecution are calling for a reinvestigation of the so-called 'Prosecutor-Media Collusion' allegations. These involve MBC, which first reported the 'Channel A case,' Ji Mo, who is known to have leaked the related suspicions, Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, and former Ministry of Justice Human Rights Bureau Chief Hwang Hee-seok. They have been accused by civic groups of obstruction of business by abuse of power and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.
On March 31, 2020, long before MBC first reported the 'Prosecutor-Reporter Collusion' allegations, Hwang Hee-seok, then a Supreme Council member of the Open Democratic Party, shared a photo on his Facebook page smiling with Choi Kang-wook, who was then the leader of the Open Uri Party, writing, "Now the two of us are going into operation."
Just 30 minutes later, Hwang's post was shared on the Facebook page of whistleblower Ji with the message, "Let's break them! Yoon Seok-ryeol's prosecutors!!" A few days later, lawmaker Choi posted on his Facebook page a message titled 'Summary of Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae's statements in letters and recordings,' which contained content forcing former reporter Lee to testify that former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation Chairman Yoo Si-min had received money from former CEO Lee Cheol.
From the left, a Facebook capture of former Open Democratic Party Supreme Council Member Hwang Hee-seok released through the media, a Facebook capture of Mr. Ji Mo, the whistleblower of the Channel A incident who shared former Supreme Council Member Hwang Hee-seok's Facebook post, and a Facebook capture of Choi Kang-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
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