Former Chairman Ryu Hee-rim sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison on charges of perjury by National Intelligence Service

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Minhyuk Yoon = The Public Prosecution Service requested 1 year and 6 months in prison for former Korea Communications Standards Commission Chairman Ryu Hee-rim, who was put on trial on charges of perjury before the National Assembly.

At the trial of former Chairman Ryu held on the 27th at the Criminal Agreement Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Seo Bo-min), the Public Prosecution Office requested that such a sentence be given, saying, "The defendant used the media by exaggerating his personal achievements to avoid suspicions of conflict of interest with the intention of reappointment. He repeatedly claimed to the people and the National Assembly that there was a non-existent promise to delete Google."

The Public Prosecution Office also pointed out that former Chairman Ryu claimed that he had not received a report regarding his brother's civil complaint even though it was clear that the employee had no choice but to make false statements.

In response, former Chairman Ryu's side countered that the fact that Google Vice President's remarks were accepted as a promise to quickly delete them was simply a difference in interpretation and not intentional perjury.

The lawyer argued, "The employees who attended the meeting at the time also stated that they thought the defendant had actually received a promise," and added, "It is not right to conclude that it was a false statement, as subjective judgment is bound to be involved in how to evaluate the facts experienced."

In addition, regarding the claim of the Public Prosecution Service that former Chairman Ryu was aware of his mistake by receiving a recording of an interview with Google before his testimony at the National Assembly, he countered by saying, "It is clear that the recording file was received after the testimony at the National Assembly."

Regarding the suspicion of instigating a civil complaint by his own brother, the credibility of the team leader's statement that he reported this was questioned.

In his final statement, former Chairman Ryu said, "I have never given false testimony against my memory in the National Assembly. I sincerely believed that Google's answer at the time was a promise, and I simply told the National Assembly exactly what I believed."

He went on to say, “There is no fact that I intentionally perjured myself in relation to my younger brother’s civil complaint application,” and “I have no recollection of receiving such a report, either then or now.”

He said, "This trial is not just a matter of criminal punishment, but also a matter of honor and conscience as a journalist that I have maintained for the past 40 years," and appealed, "Please judge fairly with objective evidence and logic."

On October 21, 2024, former Chairman Ryu was indicted without detention on charges of falsely describing the contents of his meeting with Google Vice President Markham Ericsson (a crime of perjury under the National Assembly Testimony and Evaluation Act) during the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Broadcasting and Communications Committee audit of government affairs.

At that time, former Chairman Ryu met Vice President Ericsson on a business trip to Google's U.S. headquarters and responded to the effect that he had received cooperation in deleting illegal and harmful YouTube content in Korea.

Former Chairman Ryu is also accused of falsely telling the National Assembly that he had not received any report on the so-called 'civil complaint instigation' suspicion.

The Public Prosecution Office believes that it is perjury that he said that he had not been informed by the National Defense Commission staff that his younger brother had filed a complaint regarding the 'broadcast raising suspicions about former President Yoon Seok-yeol's investigation into Busan Savings Bank.'

At the time, an employee of the National Security Commission reportedly reported that in September 2023, former Chairman Ryu had his family and acquaintances submit a complaint to the National Security Commission requesting that the committee review reports citing Newstapa's 'false interview between Kim Man-bae and Shin Hak-rim', and that there was a potential conflict of interest in attempting to review it directly.

The court plans to hold a sentencing hearing on December 1 at 2 p.m.