Reporters sued for defamation over ‘fake news’ on Yoon during election

Kim Man-bae, a former reporter and suspect in controversial real estate project led by Rep. Lee Jae-myung, speaks to reporters outside the Seoul detention center on Thursday. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party on Thursday reported six current and former members of the press to the police for defamation over “fake news” on then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol.

Among those reported to the police is Kim Man-bae, a longtime reporter known as an ally of Yoon’s onetime presidential rival and the Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung. He is a major stakeholder of an asset management company that invested in an urban development project during Lee’s tenure as the mayor of Seongnam. Aside from Kim, several of Lee's aides are facing trial or are under investigation for allegedly profiting illicitly from the city project using insider information.

Kim is accused of bribing a staffer at an independent news outlet called Newstapa to run a damaging story against Yoon during the presidential election race, with the aim of aiding Lee who was running as the Democratic Party candidate, according to Seoul prosecutors.

The People Power Party accused Kim of attempting to influence the presidential election to sway voter sentiments using fabricated claims. Newstapa, in a statement issued earlier this week, admitted to one of its former staffers having received money from Kim but denied that it was aware of the exchange of money at the time.

The ruling party reported Kim for orchestrating the story, as well as five other reporters working for other news outlets for picking the story up without checking the facts.

Asking the court for an arrest warrant for Kim on Wednesday, prosecutors said they have found recordings of phone calls in which Kim told Lee confidants to give news interviews that could harm Yoon’s chances in the presidential race.

Kim, who denies the accusations made by prosecutors, told reporters outside the Seoul Detention Center on Thursday that he was unaware that the phone conversations were being recorded. “They were private conversations, and I didn’t know such recordings existed,” he said.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)