An executive of a media company who was under investigation for financial transactions with Kim Man-bae, a private contractor involved in the Daejang-dong development project, was found dead.
According to the police on the 30th, former Hankook Ilbo executive Mr. A was found dead on a hillside in Danyang, Chungbuk, the previous night. The police reported that after receiving a missing person report from Mr. A's younger brother in the afternoon, they located Mr. A by tracking his cellphone location.
It was later revealed that Mr. A borrowed 100 million won from Kim in May 2020 to secure funds for a house purchase, and he was dismissed in January last year. Mr. A claimed it was a "normal monetary loan contract between private parties" and filed an appeal, but lost in the first trial on the 14th.
Mr. A was also under prosecution investigation for financial dealings with Kim. The prosecution believes Mr. A received monetary compensation from Kim and was requested to write articles favorable to the Daejang-dong group or to block unfavorable articles. On April 18, they conducted a search and seizure of him.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating this case, expressed condolences immediately after news of Mr. A's death, stating, "We pray for the repose of the deceased" and "The investigation team expresses deep condolences over this unfortunate incident."
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