Former TheTamsa CEO Kang Jin-gu, who raised the 'Cheongdam-dong drinking party' allegations that President Yoon Suk-yeol and former Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon had a late-night drinking gathering with lawyers from Kim & Chang law firm in Cheongdam-dong, appeared at the prosecution office on the 30th for investigation.
The Criminal Division 7 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Geon-wook) summoned Kang as a suspect on charges including attempted coercion, defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, trespassing, and stalking, and investigated him on the morning of the same day.
The prosecution is known to have confirmed whether Kang had coerced cellist A to report the Cheongdam-dong drinking party allegations and whether he defamed former Minister Han and others through false reports.
The Cheongdam-dong drinking party allegations were first revealed during the National Assembly audit in October 2022, when then-Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Ui-gyeom questioned former Minister Han with phrases like "You did attend the drinking party, right?", and TheTamsa continued reporting thereafter.
The basis for these claims was a recorded phone call in which cellist A told her boyfriend that she stayed and sang at the bar in question; however, A explained that this was merely a lie to her boyfriend as an excuse for being late.
The prosecution suspects that A's boyfriend and Kang colluded to pressure A to testify that the report was a genuine public interest disclosure.
The prosecution is reported to have secured communication records supporting this.
Kang is also under investigation for stalking and trespassing charges, including following former Minister Han by car after work and unlawfully entering the apartment where former Minister Han lives.
Upon appearing at the prosecution office, Kang claimed, "I did not coerce the cellist; I was trying to protect her in my own way," and added, "The prosecution's attempt to link this to attempted coercion is an excessive infringement on the press."
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