Ex-Korea Communications Standards Commission chief denies perjury charges at first trial

Ryu Hee-lim, former chairman of the Korea Communications Standards Commission, denied all charges at the opening of his perjury trial Monday, having been indicted for allegedly lying under oath during a National Assembly national audit.

The 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Southern District Court, presided over by Judge Seo Bo-min, held the first hearing Monday morning in the case against Ryu, who was indicted without detention under the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly.

Ryu is accused of making false statements when he appeared as a witness before the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee national audit on Oct. 21, 2024.

The charges center on two statements Ryu made at the hearing: that a Google vice president had promised to delete illegal or harmful YouTube content that violated Korean law or was flagged for removal by the commission, and that he had not been informed his younger brother had filed a complaint against a broadcast raising allegations that then-President Yoon Suk Yeol had interfered in a Busan savings bank investigation during his time as a prosecutor.

Ryu's defense team denied the charges and argued for acquittal. His attorney acknowledged that Ryu made the statements in question but insisted they were consistent with objective facts. The attorney added that even if the statements could be interpreted differently at trial, Ryu had testified based on his own memory and understanding at the time, and that the elements of perjury were therefore not met.

On the Google-related testimony, the defense also raised concerns about the interpretation process, saying some portions may have been rendered differently from what Ryu recalled and that a review was needed.

Regarding the complaint-instigation allegations, the defense rebuffed the prosecution's case as relying solely on circumstantial evidence, saying the accounts of those involved lacked credibility.

According to prosecutors, Ryu testified at the national audit that during a meeting with Google headquarters officials, he received assurances that illegal or harmful content on YouTube would be removed "as quickly as possible" and that Google would "actively cooperate."

Prosecutors contend, however, that Google made no such deletion promise and only indicated it would look into the speed of its response to the commission's requests — making Ryu's testimony false.

Prosecutors also took issue with Ryu's national audit testimony regarding the complaint-instigation allegations. They said Ryu had in fact been informed that his younger brother filed a complaint against a broadcast raising allegations that Yoon, while serving as a prosecutor, had suppressed an investigation into Busan savings bank, yet told the national audit he had received no such report.

The next hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 14.