Former President Yoon Suk-yeol appeared again as a witness in the trial of former and current journalists indicted on charges of defaming him through false reporting. Yoon denied allegations that he had suppressed an investigation into Busan Savings Bank, saying, "If there had been a request to grant investigative favors, I would have detained him immediately."
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 35 (presiding judge Baek Dae-hyun) held the 24th hearing Friday for Kim Yong-jin, former head of Newstapa; reporter Han Sang-jin; Kim Man-bae, the largest shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management; and Shin Hak-rim, former chairman of the Korea Federation of Press Unions. They were indicted on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation).
Yoon claimed that day that he "knew nothing" about Cho Woo-hyung, the loan broker at the center of the Busan Savings Bank case. "I did not even know a person named Cho Woo-hyung until allegations were raised during the election that I had shown him favor, which is when I came to know him," Yoon said. "If attorney Park Young-soo, who was Cho's defense counsel, had made a request seeking investigative favors, I would have detained him immediately."
Kim and former chairman Shin were indicted on charges of exchanging hundreds of millions of won in money and goods in return for false reporting that defamed Yoon. In September 2021, they conducted an interview claiming that "Yoon suppressed an investigation into loan broker Cho while investigating the Busan Savings Bank case at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Department in 2011." Newstapa cited this in reporting the investigation cover-up allegations.
Prosecutors believe the two conspired with the aim of influencing the presidential election, and that Kim paid Shin 165.5 million won disguised as book fees in return for the false interview. Former head Kim and reporter Han face charges of conspiring with Shin and others to produce false reports.
On the 9th of last month, Yoon appeared as a witness and stated that the report had adversely affected the presidential election process, saying he wanted the defendants punished.
