Prosecutors Raid NewsTapa CEO Over 'Kim Man-bae False Interview Involvement' (Comprehensive)

On the 6th, the prosecution, which is investigating allegations that false information reported during the last presidential election phase damaged the honor of President Yoon Seok-yeol, launched a forced investigation against Kim Yong-jin, the CEO of Newstapa. This comes about three months after the search and seizure of Newstapa's office on September 14.

Kim Yong-jin, CEO of Newstapa [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Special Investigation Team for the 'Presidential Election Interference Public Opinion Manipulation Case' at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Kang Baek-shin, Head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1) has been conducting a search and seizure of Kim's residence since the morning on charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.

The prosecution believes that Kim Man-bae, a private contractor involved in the Daejang-dong development project, conducted a false interview on September 15, 2021, with Shin Hak-rim, a former chairman of the Media Union and then a Newstapa professional advisor, claiming that "President Yoon covered up the Jo Woo-hyung case while investigating the Busan Savings Bank case at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Department." They also believe that on September 20 of the same year, Kim paid Shin 165 million won as compensation. This interview, containing Kim's voice, was broadcast through Newstapa three days before the presidential election, on March 6 of last year.

The prosecution views that Kim intentionally induced the interview with Shin to be reported in order to shift the focus of responsibility for the Daejang-dong allegations from Lee Jae-myung, then Governor of Gyeonggi Province and leader of the Democratic Party, to President Yoon's side, thereby spreading false information through the media. The prosecution also suspects that Kim Yong-jin may have been involved in the process of reporting this interview.

The prosecution has also uncovered circumstances suggesting that Kim Yong-jin was aware of the money transaction between Shin and Kim about eight months before the prosecution's investigation began, in January. On January 9, after Shin received an inquiry call from a reporter asking whether he had received money from Kim as compensation for the false interview, Shin reportedly informed Kim Yong-jin of this fact and said, "Although things have come to this, prioritize the organization in your judgment." Subsequently, Shin is known to have submitted an official statement to Newstapa and stepped down from his position as a Newstapa professional advisor.

In a statement released on September 1, when the prosecution searched Shin's residence, Newstapa stated, "We were completely unaware that former Chairman Shin sold his works to Kim," and added, "The financial transactions between the two did not influence the decision to report."

Han Sang-jin, the reporter who covered Kim's interview, also said on MBC Radio on September 8, "Regarding the money transaction, we had no idea at the time of reporting," and questioned, "I received the recording file on March 4, 2022, but Shin Hak-rim had already received money about six months earlier. No matter how much they claim it was a normal transaction, if I had known about the payment, would I have reported it?"