A witness from Yang Hyun-suk, the former producer of YG Entertainment, who is accused of retaliatory threats, testified that Han Seo-hee, a former singer trainee, filed a public interest report for money. On the other hand, the prosecution revealed that Han Seo-hee would additionally submit a recording of her dispatch, in which she said she was threatened by Yang, as evidence, raising interest in whether she would be adopted.
On the followingnoon of the 29th, the 23rd Criminal Settlement Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the ninth trial once morest Yang Hyun-suk on charges of retaliation (violation of the Act on Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes). Former CEO Yang is being tried on charges of threatening to change her statement at the police station by Han Seo-hee, who officially reported the suspicion of drug purchases by B.I, a former YG entertainer.
At the trial, three witnesses, including Choi, who was Han’s drug supplier, were scheduled to be questioned.
At the 8th trial on the 8th, the prosecution announced that it would submit a transcript with the entertainment media Dispatch, which Han mentioned at the 8th trial, as evidence.
Han, who was a witness at the time, claimed, “I recorded a conversation with me from 2017 to 2019 on Dispatch, and it is said that what I said (I was threatened by Yang Hyun-suk) is stored in the recording file.”
Regarding this, the prosecution said, “This case happened in August 2016, and Dispatch received a recording file with Mr. Han in 2017. You can submit it.” said.
In this regard, Yang Hyun-suk’s attorney (herefollowing referred to as the “attorney”) put the brakes on the evidence as inappropriate.
The defense attorney said, “I tried to examine Mr. Han as a witness for three months, but it was inconsistent. He refuted each time, but I wonder if it is justified to submit evidence once more following the witness interrogation. While human rights of victims are important, the human rights of the accused are also important Isn’t it? I think it’s worthless as evidence.”
The prosecution then countered, “The prosecution believes that Mr. Han’s statements are consistent. However, the defense attorney said that Han’s statements come and go, so he is trying to present supplementary evidence. .
The presiding judge said that he would consider it as there was a dispute over the submission of evidence.
Han Seo-hee has claimed that Yang Hyun-suk threatened, ‘It’s not even a matter of killing you,’ at the trial, but Yang Hyun-suk’s lawyer has pointed out that this was not mentioned in the public interest report or the first news media article that the interview was conducted while filing a public interest report.
Then, as witnesses for the defense, a newspaper was conducted regarding Mo Geum, a traveler, and Mo Park, who worked for the YG personnel team, whom Yang Hyun Suk produced through the group Keep6 vocals.
Attorneys revealed in court that Geum and Han were filming a closed circuit (CC) TV video with their cell phone, which showed them meeting and talking at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on November 3, 2019. In the video, Mr. Han seems to be making a gesture to signify money with his hand.
Mr. Geum said that he met Mr. Han by chance at a cafe, and since they were acquaintances, they sat and talked for regarding 10 minutes. Mr. Geum said, ‘I have no feelings for Yang Hyun-suk. It’s because of the money,’ he said several times.
He also said, “I felt that the nuance of Mr. Han talking regarding money seemed to want him to tell the story, and when I delivered it, he got angry saying, ‘Why am I giving you money when it doesn’t even exist?’” he said.
The lawyer also showed the witness a photo of Yang Hyun-suk, Geum, and another acquaintance, Kim, of conversations on the secure messenger app Signal. In this conversation, Yang Hyun-suk said, ‘Shall I tell you regarding the exciting jackpot?’ and Han told another acquaintance Ko, ‘If you give (Yang Hyun-suk) 1 billion won, I will agree’, and ‘Use a cannon phone because you might get caught by the police.’ . Geum confirmed that the conversation with Yang Hyun-suk was correct.
However, the prosecution raised doubts regarding the fact that Geum had a video of her conversation with Han on her cell phone and that she had it until now, and that Yang Hyun-suk captured the content right following the conversation with Geum in ‘Signal’, in which the message was deleted following a certain period of time. It was said that Geum, who was close with Yang Hyun-suk, did this on purpose to make evidence. Geum strongly denied it, saying, “Not at all.”
Then, Park, who served in YG’s personnel team until October 2017, came forward as a witness. Park was in charge of creating a poster in a bathroom photo taken at the YG office on the day that Han claimed that he was threatened by Yang Hyun-suk.
Prosecutors claim that the photo was taken near Mapo-gu, Seoul, where the YG headquarters is located, as a result of Han’s cell phone forensic in August 2016. Mr. Han said that he might not take this poster, raising the possibility that the time of the photo shoot was tampered with.
Park said that from the first half of 2014 to the second half of 2015, the poster was produced and attached to the bathroom of YG’s office building as part of an in-house campaign. When the prosecution asked, “Isn’t there a possibility that the poster will still be attached to the toilet following the campaign is over?” Park said, “I don’t think that’s likely. At that time, he paid special attention to the campaign, which the team leader thought was important. That’s why he wouldn’t have the poster attached until August 2016, when the campaign ended.”
At the 10th trial at the end of September, the witness test once morest Choi is scheduled to continue.
Yang Hyun-suk is facing trial on charges of conciliating, threatening, and demanding that he reverse his statement by summoning a former singer trainee who was a supply for B.I’s drug allegations in 2016. It became known that Mr. Han made a public interest report to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in 2019, and Yang Hyun-suk’s side denies the charges, saying that he had met Mr. Han, but she did not threaten him.
B.I was sentenced to three years in prison and four years of probation on charges of purchasing cannabis and LSD, a type of drug, and using some of them in September last year (violation of the Narcotics Control Act, etc.).
Han was sentenced to three years in prison in 2017 and four years of probation for smoking marijuana with Big Bang’s TOP in 2016. During the probation period, the Supreme Court confirmed the sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison for taking methamphetamine once more.
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