Shin Sungshik, former research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute, and Lee, a KBS reporter, who were indicted on charges of defaming former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon by reporting the so-called "prosecutor-media collusion allegations" to KBS, were acquitted in the first trial.
On August 27, the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Han Jungseok) acquitted former Prosecutor Shin and KBS reporter Lee, who had been tried on charges of defamation by publication and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.
The court stated, "Some of the statements made by former Prosecutor Shin to the KBS legal affairs team appear to be false," but added, "It does not seem that he made those statements with the awareness that they were false, nor does it appear that he had the intent to slander." The court further explained, "There is a possibility that former Prosecutor Shin's recollection of the transcript was mixed with memories of other transcripts," and "He had no motive to tell a lie that could be easily discovered."
Former Prosecutor Shin was accused of providing KBS reporters with false information regarding the alleged collusion between former leader Han and former Channel A reporter Lee Dongjae around July 2020, when he was serving as the third deputy chief at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
At the time, based on what they had heard from former Prosecutor Shin, KBS reported that they had obtained a transcript containing circumstances suggesting that former reporter Lee and former leader Han had conspired to raise suspicions about former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Rhyu Simin's involvement in the ShillaJen stock manipulation case. When former reporter Lee released the full transcript, KBS admitted the report was false and issued an apology the very next day.
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