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The police explained that the journalists received confidential personal information, such as the names of the subjects of cases under investigation while under tight security.
Investigations related to the spread of the drug case of the late Lee Sun Kyun (Lee Sun Gyun) are now entering a new phase. On Monday (8/7), a police officer and investigator were arrested and taken to court after leaking the Sun Kyun case, which at that time was still being investigated internally.
Apart from that, it was also reported that 4 journalists from Dispatch and Gyeonggi Daily were also arrested for receiving and reporting this information. They are considered to have violated the law regarding personal data protection.
The personal information protection law states that not only the person who leaks personal information but also the person who receives it can be punished. In fact, these journalists did not use Sun Kyun's personal information in their news.
However, the police explained that the journalists received confidential personal information, such as the name of the subject of the case being investigated while under tight security. This is an illegal act.
The police added that the journalists could not actually be accused of leaking official secrets. However, the crime of leaking official secrets is a counter-crime structure that occurs when official secrets are exchanged.
The police official said, "Considering that freedom of the press is important, but the right to self-determination over personal information is becoming increasingly important, we decided that journalists should also be subject to punishment. The public's right to know and the public interest are important, but revealing the real names of investigation targets violates Personal Information Protection Act."
On the other hand, throughout 2023 Sun Kyun was in the public spotlight because he was accused of using drugs. Even though in every examination he had to undergo, the actor born in 1975 was always negative for using these illegal items.
Until December 27 2023, Sun Kyun was found unconscious in his car parked in a park in the Seoul area. Because there were traces of burnt charcoal briquettes, it is suspected that the star of the film "Parasite" died by suicide. (wk/charity)
