Police raid two YouTubers in defamation case involving first lady

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- Police on Thursday raided the residences of two co-representatives of a YouTube channel suspected of spreading false allegations on first lady Kim Keon-hee online during the presidential election campaign last year.

Investigators from the Seoul Seocho Police Station searched the residences of the two, surnamed Kang and Choi, respectively, for three hours from 9 a.m., police officials said.

Kang and Choi jointly ran a YouTube channel formerly named "Open Mind TV," which raised allegations last year that then People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim, was a bar hostess using the nickname "Julie" and had lived with a senior prosecutor before marrying Yoon in 2012.

The channel, which has changed its name to "Citizen Press The Tamsa TV," reported an interview with an eyewitness who claimed to have seen Kim working in a bar and featured the mother of the senior prosecutor whom it described as her former live-in partner.

The PPP and Yoon's election camp have filed several complaints against Open Mind TV on charges of defamation and spread of false information in violation of the election law.

A week ago, police also raided the office of Citizen Press The Tamsa TV and the residences of other relevant figures.

Police appear to be speeding up their investigations as the statute of limitations for the case is set to expire on Sept. 9.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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