Ji Mo (58), known as 'Whistleblower X' who exposed the 'Channel A Coercion Attempt Incident' to the media, received a dismissal of the indictment on charges of defamation.
On the 8th, Judge Lee Kyung-sun of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 16 dismissed the indictment against Ji, who was charged with defamation. This was due to the victim of the case, former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin, submitting a letter of no punishment on the 28th of last month. Defamation is a quasi-offense that cannot be prosecuted without the victim's consent.
Ji was indicted in April last year on charges of damaging reputation by spreading false information to Channel A reporters related to the 2020 Shiniljen investigation, such as "Former Chief Yoon demanded 10 billion won from former Value Invest Korea CEO Lee Cheol" and "I understand some of it was handed over." Ji, who was indicted without detention, was arrested in October last year for unauthorized absence from the trial but was released on bail in November. He has admitted the facts but denied the charges, claiming there was no intent to commit the crime.
This case began with a third party's accusation, not a complaint from the victim Yoon. After Ji was indicted, the court summoned Yoon as a witness, but after repeated absences, a fine was imposed.
On this day, Ji posted on Facebook, quoting his lawyer's closing argument, calling it "a case where I was arrested at the airport as if kidnapped and tormented for over a year," and insisted, "The prosecution should keep in mind that this case must be reinvestigated someday regarding the purpose of the investigation command." In response to these allegations, the prosecution rebutted, stating, "The indictment was made after confirming the victim's intention not to punish during the investigation process and judging that the charges were recognized based on evidence."
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