Close ally of Kim Byung-kee also faces complaint over Telegram leak

As the police investigation into various allegations surrounding former Democratic Party floor leader Kim Byung-kee drags on, a criminal complaint has recently been filed against his closest ally — Lee Ji-hee, former vice speaker of the Dongjak-gu District Council. Lee is accused of receiving leaked Telegram chat logs belonging to former aides that Kim made public last year, and of sharing portions of them online.

According to police, the Dongjak Police Station plans to summon complainant A, a former aide to Kim who filed the complaint against Lee, to establish the facts of the case.

On July 6, A submitted a complaint to the Dongjak station alleging that Lee "received screenshots of Telegram chat logs that had been leaked without the participants' consent, submitted them to police, and quoted and published them on SNS."

The Telegram chat room in question — known informally as "Yeouido Matdori" — was a private group used by former aides in Kim's office. Kim posted its contents on his own SNS account and is now under investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's public crime investigation unit on the same charges. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently received a report from the Dongjak station on the complaint against Lee and is reviewing whether to consolidate it with the case against Kim.

Lee reportedly reposted some of the chat content Kim had published on her own SNS account. In the complaint, A argued that reposting material obtained and leaked without authorization also constitutes an illegal act.

In addition, A filed a request on July 6 for a police investigation review committee hearing in connection with a separate defamation complaint Lee had filed against the former aides, alleging they had disparaged her in the group chat. "Seven months have passed since police received the case without closing the investigation, leaving the allegations unresolved, and police have not responded to our requests to expedite the probe," A said in the submission.

The Telegram chat room lies at the heart of the investigation into Kim. In December last year, Kim posted the contents of his former aides' private Telegram chats on his SNS account, claiming the employees had "badmouthed him and people around him" and that he had dismissed them for it. The published chats are confirmed to have included remarks about Lee as well.

The former aides subsequently filed complaints against Kim on charges including violation of the Act on Protection of Communications Secrets and defamation, alleging he had illegally obtained and disclosed their private conversations. They also filed a complaint against Kim's spouse, surnamed Lee, claiming she had secretly accessed the chat room through the account of B, the most junior aide, and leaked the contents.

Kim's spouse told police that when she checked her phone, it was logged into B's Telegram account, but that she did not know how that had come to be. B, however, denied ever using Kim's spouse's phone to log into his own account or allowing her to do so, setting off a dispute over the facts.

Meanwhile, Lee Ji-hee is also under investigation as a suspect in the nomination bribery case involving Kim, facing charges of violating the Political Funds Act. A former Dongjak district council member identified Lee in a petition as the person who received money on Kim's behalf. Lee is also a suspect in connection with allegations that Kim's second son received preferential treatment in transferring to Soongsil University. Lee has reportedly denied all charges to police.