▲ Kim Man-bae
Former journalists indicted for receiving money from Kim Man-bae, a private developer behind the Daejang-dong project and a former reporter, in exchange for blocking critical coverage and writing favorable articles have been recommended for prison terms.
During the sentencing hearing held today by the 35th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Paek Dae-hyun), prosecutors asked the court to sentence Seok, a former senior executive at the Hankyoreh, to five years in prison and order the forfeiture of 890 million won.
For Cho, a former senior executive at the JoongAng Ilbo who was tried alongside him, prosecutors sought four years in prison and the forfeiture of 204 million won.
Kim Man-bae, who made the illicit requests to them, was recommended for a three-year prison term.
Prosecutors stated regarding Seok, "As a senior executive at a media outlet, he held practical authority to influence articles related to Daejang-dong," adding, "Considering the scale and duration of the crime, the social significance of his position at the time, and the extent to which public trust in the press was undermined by this case, a strict prison sentence must be handed down."
Regarding Cho, prosecutors noted, "He even sent a message to Kim saying, 'I will live relying on the chairman,'" and added, "Given that he was in a position to influence public formation through commentary, the integrity, objectivity, and social trust of the media outlet were seriously compromised."
Prosecutors emphasized regarding Kim, "He continuously engaged in bribery over several years," and "Not only the integrity of individual journalists, but trust in the media as a whole suffered severe damage."
All defendants maintained that the transactions in question were financial dealings devoid of any illicit solicitation or quid pro quo.
In their closing statements, Seok and Cho argued to the effect that there was no solicitation or quid pro quo involved in their financial transactions with Kim.
Kim also stated in his closing statement, "This transaction was a pure deal with neither solicitation nor quid pro quo, and it was not an illicit deal," while adding, "I reflect on the fact that I transacted based on personal sentiments of friendship and closeness, forgetting my status as a reporter."
The sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November 26.
Seok, who served as a senior executive at the Hankyoreh, is accused of receiving a total of 890 million won from Kim under the guise of apartment down payments, accompanied by illicit requests related to the Daejang-dong project, from May 2019 to August of the following year.
Although Seok claimed that the funds were borrowed money, prosecutors brought him to trial on charges that it was bribery disguised as a financial loan.
Cho, who served as a senior executive at the JoongAng Ilbo, is accused of receiving a total of 204 million won from Kim upon request between April 2019 and August 2021.
Investigations showed that Kim provided a total of 1.204 billion won to journalists along with illicit requests, of which only 1.1 billion won—for which the statute of limitations has not expired—was brought to trial.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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