The prosecution revealed in court suspicions that Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, coerced his close associates into giving false media interviews to conceal the connection between the Daejang-dong incident and Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 6th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation team made this claim while explaining the necessity of detention during Kim's additional detention warrant hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Chief Judge Lee Jun-cheol).
Key figure in the Daejang-dong development lobbying and preferential treatment allegations, Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
The prosecution stated, "Kim planned to spread false information through the media fearing that the truth would be revealed through the Daejang-dong investigation, which would negatively affect Lee Jae-myung in the presidential election." They added, "To help Lee Jae-myung win and to conceal the crime and reduce responsibility, Kim denied Lee's involvement and planned to spread false information unfavorable to the opposing candidate who investigated Jo Woo-hyung during the 2011 savings bank corruption investigation."
The prosecution is investigating allegations that Kim colluded with Shin Hak-rim, former chairman of the Media Union and a specialist at Newstapa, on September 15, 2021, to conduct a false interview claiming that "President Yoon Seok-yeol covered up the Jo Woo-hyung case through former special prosecutor Park Young-soo while he was at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Department," and that Kim paid Shin 165 million won five days later on September 20 as compensation.
The prosecution revealed in court that Kim disguised the payment by pretending to have purchased three books from Shin and even drafted a book sales contract dated March 1, 2021, about six months before the interview date to conceal the quid pro quo.
The prosecution pointed out, "Shin Hak-rim actively participated in the media coverage by recording the false interview and providing it to Newstapa reporter A, repeatedly consulting with them." They added, "Newstapa conducted false media reports just before the presidential election using reporter A and Shin Hak-rim as sources, attempting to manipulate public opinion in the election."
The prosecution also revealed that Kim coerced fake interviews from private contractors around him. In October 2021, when controversy arose over who the real owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 1, an affiliate of Hwacheon Daeyu, referred to as 'that person,' Nam Wook claimed in a JTBC interview, "Kim Man-bae never called Yoo Dong-gyu 'that person.'"
In response, Kim called Nam and urged him to reverse his stance, saying, "Now we and Lee Jae-myung are on the same boat. If Lee survives, we survive too." Subsequently, Nam gave another false interview to JTBC stating, "That person is not Lee Jae-myung. Lee rather took away the business rights."
The prosecution also said that in October 2021, Kim instructed Jo Woo-hyung, the real owner of Cheonhwa-dongin No. 6, "This must not become a gate. It should be settled as Yoo Dong-gyu's bribery case," and ordered him to give a false interview to reporters.
Accordingly, Jo gave a false interview to JTBC saying, "That person is Yoo Dong-gyu. 100%. I believe this is highly likely to be Yoo Dong-gyu's personal deviation," the prosecution explained.
The prosecution also revealed that some statements Jo did not make were distorted in reports. Jo said, "It was not the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department that searched my account, but the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation that looked into it." However, JTBC reporter reported this only in February last year, just before the presidential election, inserting statements Jo never made, implying that "he was investigated by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department and Yoon Seok-yeol made him coffee." This reporter later moved to Newstapa.
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