Conservative Commentator in South Korea Arrested for Criticizing Key Evidence Against Former President
Another example of how the defamation laws in South Korea are used to silence political opposition:
A conservative commentator has been arrested on libel charges regarding his claim that media reports that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye were manipulated.
The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Byun Hee-jae, citing a risk of the suspect destroying evidence.
Byun is accused of spreading false information through his book “The Curse of Sohn Suk-hee” and his online articles, arguing that local cable channel JTBC manipulated the content of a tablet PC and made it look like it was used by Choi Soon-sil, a long-time confidante of the former president.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office filed for the warrant last Friday, accusing Byun of slandering JTBC, its president Sohn Suk-hee and its reporters without reasonable grounds.
The tablet PC was used as critical evidence proving that Choi had interfered in state affairs, leading to Park’s impeachment last year. [KBS World News]
For those that don’t remember the tablet was mysteriously found in an office once rented by Park Geun-hye’s friend Choi Soon-shil who was at the center of the scandal. The finding of the tablet PC was the key news that created the momentum to impeach former President Park Geun-hye.
JTBC only admitted where it found the tablet after changing its story multiple times about the origin of the tablet. If it was in fact found in the old office I always found it interesting how it was conveniently left with such sensitive information on it and no password protection. Additionally the Korean courts did not consider the tablet as evidence during the trial against President Park because it was tampered with.
I am listing below the links to Dr. Tara O’s fascinating and thought-provoking post on the sordid story behind the fake tablet PC saga and the arrest of Byun Hee-jae who was at the forefront of exposing this third-rate scheme, and an English Press Release of Tepyung, an organization that cooperated with Byun Hee-jae before his arrest. Perhaps readers of this blog might find them interesting.
https://freekorea.us/2018/05/31/guest-post-journalist-preemptively-jailed-for-libel-in-south-korea-the-only-oecd-country-to-do-so/
https://tepyung.com/2018/05/31/a-cover-up-byun-hee-jae-arrested-following-na-gihyeons-explosive-testimony-against-prosecutors-and-jtbc/#more-974
Sad state of affairs in Korea. It seems that uni is a mouseclick away.
I’m glad Commie Moon can’t silence Dr. O. She should keep up the investigative journalism and spreading the truth about lyin’ Moon.
@SI, yes I saw Dr. O’s posting on OFK and the follow on link in the comments section. I have a posting up on it:
https://www.rokdrop.net/2018/06/how-dubious-was-the-discovered-tablet-pc-that-led-president-parks-impeachment/
It is amazing how the Moon administration continues to attack free speech and the freedom of the press and the international media reports nothing about this.
The press is a stooge of nK, working hand and glove with commie moon to get South Korea marching under the banner of KJU and nK communism.
Never seen a bigger bunch of Commies than JTBC TV and the rest of the Korean rags.