'False Interview Allegations' Shin Hak-rim Detention Maintained, Review Petition Dismissed

Former Press Union Chairman Shin Hak-rim, who is accused of reporting a 'false interview' that defamed President Yoon Seok-yeol's honor and receiving a large sum of money in return, requested the court to reconsider the legality of his detention, but the request was denied.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeal Division 1-2 (Presiding Judges An Hee-gil, Jo Jeong-rae, Lee Young-gwang) held a detention review hearing for Shin around 2:50 PM to 4:45 PM on the 27th, lasting about 1 hour and 55 minutes, and dismissed his petition.

It is known that Shin denied the charges during the hearing. Shin’s attorney, Shin Ui-cheol of the law firm Yullip, argued that the recorded interview file with Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, included circumstances where the two went to the restroom together during their conversation, claiming that the conversation with Kim was "not a (fabricated) interview but a secretly recorded conversation for reporting purposes."

The prosecution reportedly stated in the detention warrant application that there was concern over evidence destruction as Shin stored evidence on a new server. However, regarding this, the defense rebutted, saying, "The last time a file was uploaded to the external server was in May 2021, and since then, no information has been entered on the server, supported by a forensic company’s appraisal report submitted to the court."

On this day, the court also reviewed three volumes of Shin’s book titled “The Kinship Map Governing the Republic of Korea” brought by his defense, but ultimately concluded that maintaining Shin’s detention was appropriate.

Shin is accused of conducting a false interview in September 2021 with Kim Man-bae, claiming that "President Yoon Seok-yeol, when he was the head of the Criminal Investigation Division 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, covered up the investigation into Busan Savings Bank," and reporting it, receiving 165 million won from Kim under the pretext of book payment.

The court issued detention warrants for Shin and Kim on the 21st, and Shin filed a detention review petition with the court four days after his detention, on the 25th.