<Anchor> The
court found that Lee Dong-jae, a former Channel A reporter who was charged with requesting information that was misleading information of the Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyung Foundation, in an inappropriate way from a reporter who was incarcerated, was not guilty. The court pointed out that the reporting ethics had been violated, but said that it could not be punished as a crime.
By Bae Jun-woo.
<Reporter>
Lee Dong-jae, a former Channel A reporter, was handed over to trial in August last year on charges of asking former VIK CEO Lee Cheol Lee to disclose information about the misconduct of Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyung Foundation.
Prosecutors have determined that former reporter Lee is suspected of attempted coercion, such as referring to the possibility of family punishment in several letters to former CEO Lee, who is incarcerated during the reporting process.
The Seoul Central District Court acquitted the former reporter.
Although former reporter Lee mentioned the contents of the Shillajen investigation, it is difficult to see that former reporter Lee will influence the prosecution's investigation into the Shillajen by this alone.
In particular, the court ruled that "freedom of the press is the last bulwark, so it is difficult to rule with punishment."
However, the court pointed out that former reporter Lee tried to violate the reporting ethics by excessive greed for special coverage.
[Joo Jin-woo/Lee Dong-jae's legal representative: I respect the decision of the court. Prosecutors and some politicians carried out unreasonable investigations by stating that there was no substance in the prosecution.]
Prosecutors suspected that former reporter Lee and Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon had conspired with each other, but they did not list the charges of conspiracy with prosecutor Han Dong-hoon in Lee's indictment.
The acquittal is also expected to affect the investigation of Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, which is ongoing by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.