Ryu Hee-lim, former Chairman of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), is under investigation by prosecutors for allegedly disadvantaging a corporate whistleblower. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office announced on the 24th that it is conducting a raid on the KCSC office in Yangcheon District in connection with Ryu’s alleged violation of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act.
The case was referred to the prosecution in July by Yangcheon Police Station after they determined that Ryu had indeed violated the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act. However, details surrounding the reason for the raid have not been disclosed by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office.
In 2023, Ryu faced allegations of orchestrating complaints to have certain reports related to Newstapa reviewed and personally participating in the reviews, leading to the ‘complaint orchestrating’ suspicion. The essence of the case lies in the accusation that he attempted to identify and disadvantage the whistleblower through internal audits and investigation requests.
Under Article 27 of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, any person who takes disadvantageous action against a whistleblower can face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. Previously, Yangcheon Police Station had forwarded Ryu to the prosecution for the alleged violation while determining there was no evidence of obstruction of business related to the orchestrated complaints.