Warrants Issued for Two Accused of Defaming Pres. Yoon in Media Interview

Kim Man-bae, a controversial real estate developer, and Shin Hak-lim, former chairman of the National Union of Media Workers, were put in pretrial detention on Friday on charges of defaming President Yoon Suk Yeol in a media interview during the previous presidential election.

The Seoul Central District Court cited the risks of Kim and Shin trying to destroy evidence or flee after prosecutors requested detention warrants for them on charges of defamation, bribery and concealment of criminal proceeds.

The interview in question was conducted September 2021 and was published by Shin’s news outlet, Newstapa, on March 6, 2022, three days before the presidential election.

During the interview conducted by Shin, Kim made remarks that indicated that then-presidential candidate Yoon was the mastermind of a real estate scandal in Daejang-dong.

Shortly after the interview, Kim paid Shin 165 million won, or around 118 thousand U.S. dollars, to purchase copies of his book, which prosecutors allege was a financial reward for the “fake” interview.