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Yoon Do-hyun, the chair of the People Power Party’s special committee on media policy, and Kim Jang-kyom, the chair of the ruling party’s special committee on preventing “fake news” and rumors, are joined by other lawmakers as they announced their decision to file a complaint at the National Police Agency against Kim Man-bae, Shin Hak-lim, and journalists who reported on their allegedly faked interview. (Yonhap)

Korea’s prosecution service launched a team dedicated to probing the case surrounding Shin Hak-lim’s interview of Kim Man-bae for Newstapa, which it alleges was arranged to spread “fake news.”

Pointing the finger of blame at Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, the service also announced its intent to investigate news outlets that quoted the interview or made similar reports.

The People Power Party (PPP) filed police reports against six journalists who covered Shin’s interview of Kim, while the Seoul metropolitan government began reviewing potential penalties against Newstapa.

With next year’s general election fast approaching, the government and the ruling party seem to have stepped up their efforts to muzzle the press.

On Thursday, the prosecution service announced that a special investigation team dedicated to probing the “manipulation of public opinion aimed at influencing the presidential election” will be formed within the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, adding that 10 prosecutors will be assigned to the team.

“This is a serious case of monopolizing the electoral system — the foundation of our democracy rooted in the Constitution — by publishing false information regarding a strong presidential contender ahead of the presidential election and attempting to distort the will of the people through continued false reports and accusations of a similar nature,” the prosecution service stated. “We will conduct a speedy and impartial investigation to cast light on the whole affair.”

The ruling party also announced its intent to launch a fact-finding committee concerning the interview.

Prosecutors have all but named Lee as the main orchestrator behind the incident.

An official with the prosecution service said, “There is circumstantial evidence indicating the unlikelihood of [the interview’s dissemination] through coincidental, one-off channels, so we plan to thoroughly investigate [those who stood to benefit from the interview].” The official continued, “We believe the circumstances surrounding how the interview was reported should be examined, as well as the coverage process.”

This is likely an indication that investigations will be looking at news outlets other than Newstapa and JTBC.

Moving hand in hand with the prosecution, the PPP reported six journalists affiliated with Newstapa and MBC, as well as Kim and Shin, former expert advisor of Newstapa, at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Thursday morning on charges of defamation by false information based on the Criminal Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The day before, the ruling party stated, “With next year’s general election drawing close, Naver should come up with concrete action plans to prevent the reproduction of fake news and screen unqualified news outlets and reports.”

The Seoul metropolitan government shared that, based on the outcome of the investigation regarding Shin’s interview of Kim, measures such as suspension of publication or revocation of newspaper registration request could be considered against Newstapa. Article 22(2) of the Act on the Promotion of Newspapers stipulates that “where the contents of newspaper, etc. seriously and repetitively violates the purpose or contents of publication,” the mayor or governor may order the suspension of the publication or apply for a court trial to revoke the publication’s registration within six months.

Newstapa registered as an internet newspaper in Seoul in August 2013.

Media organizations voiced fierce opposition to these developments. Six media organizations including the National Union of Media Workers, the Journalists Association of Korea, and the Korean Producers and Directors Association held an emergency press conference, where representatives said that bringing charges against former and current reporters amounts to a “death sentence for critical media” as well as “violence that will destroy press freedom.”

“The public will judge the president and the ruling party’s political conspiracy to revive the specter of media control from the days of dictatorships and justify the suppression of the press,” they went on.

By Lee Jae-ho, staff reporter; Seo Young-ji, staff reporter; Park Da-hae, staff reporter; Ahn Yeong-chun, staff reporter

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