Former Press Union Chairman Shin Hak-rim, who is under prosecution for allegedly conducting a 'false interview' about President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged cover-up of the Busan Savings Bank case just before the presidential election and receiving a large sum of money from Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, claimed that "I sold books to Mr. Kim and received money."
On the afternoon of the 1st, shortly after the prosecution's search and seizure, Shin met with reporters at his home in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and stated, "Including VAT, I sold three books to Mr. Kim for a total of 165 million won."
Shin joined Hankook Ilbo in 1984 and worked as a reporter before serving as the chairman of the National Union of Media Workers from 2003 to 2007. He later held positions such as executive director of the Media Reform Citizens' Coalition, CEO of Media Today, and worked as a specialist at Newstapa. He is known to have a senior-junior relationship with Mr. Kim, who also joined Hankook Ilbo in 1992 and worked as a reporter.
Shin revealed that the interview with Mr. Kim in question was conducted at a cafe in Pangyo-dong, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, on September 15, 2021, while working at Newstapa. This was shortly after the Daejang-dong scandal surfaced. He explained the background of the interview, saying, "Although Kim Man-bae's name was not yet known, I thought that only Mr. Kim could name a company with key terms like Hwacheon Daeyu and Cheonhwa Dongin, which are from the I Ching, so I sought him out."
He added, "As soon as he sat down, he explained (the preferential development rights allegations in Daejang-dong) while writing notes," emphasizing, "Mr. Kim respects me a lot. That's why, even though we met after 20 years, he spoke with me."
Shin stated, "I could not judge whether the interview was false or not," and explained, "I merely provided the materials and information requested by Newstapa as a specialist."
He claimed that the 150 million won he received from Mr. Kim was the 'price of the books.' When Mr. Kim asked about his recent activities after the interview, Shin replied that he had written books through independent research, and Mr. Kim purchased three books at 50 million won each.
The book Shin claims to have sold is titled “The Kinship Map Dominating the Republic of Korea,” published in 2020. It contains claims that the kinship ties among the media, conglomerates, and political circles form the foundation of the entrenched elite's corruption.
Shin said, "Mr. Kim paid 3 million won as an advance payment and took the books. After reading them, he said the value was not 100 million won but 1 billion won, and subsequently transferred 162 million won, including the book price and VAT."
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kang Baek-shin) conducted search and seizure operations at two locations, including Shin's residence and his office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day.
Shin is accused of receiving about 150 million won in bribes (embezzlement and violation of the Anti-Graft Act) in exchange for conducting a false interview with Mr. Kim, alleging that President Yoon, during his time as a prosecutor, covered up the prosecution's investigation of loan broker Jo Woo-hyung.
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