A Seoul court has acquitted two former TV reporters of attempted extortion in an alleged blackmail case involving a key aide to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court handed out the not guilty verdict to Lee Dong-jae, a former reporter of cable network Channel A, and his colleague, surnamed Baek.
Lee was charged with using his close ties to senior prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, a close aide of Yoon, to threaten Lee Cheol, the jailed former head of Value Investment Korea, to get information linking Rhyu Si-min, a liberal pundit close to the Moon Jae-in ad-ministration, with corruption. The former journalist allegedly sent five letters to the executive in early 2000, stating that if Lee Cheol did not cooperate in providing information about Rhyu, his prison term could be extended.
But the court found that what the defendant said in his letters and told Lee Cheol's representative, an ex-convict surnamed Ji, didn't amount to extortion. “It's difficult to believe that the defendant coerced Lee Cheol by informing him of any potential concrete disadvantages. This is not a punishable act,” the court said.
The case came to light in March last year, when MBC reported that the former journalist colluded with Han to frame Rhyu for corruption. The subsequent investigation has drawn much public attention, fueling a feud between Yoon and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over the validity of the investigation.
The indictment of the two reporters appeared far-fetched from the outset, given that the charges did not include allegations of conspiracy with Han. Following the announcement of the acquittal, suspicions have been raised that pro-government figures and MBC might have conspired to set a trap for Lee Dong-jae in the run-up to last year's general election. Law enforcement should uncover the truth about all unanswered questions related to the case and seek punishment for those involved in any possible criminal activity. The two reporters, for their part, should keep in mind that their acts certainly violated journalist ethics, despite them being found not guilty.