(December 31, 2023) It was confirmed that the court ordered the prosecution to submit the tablet's imaging file (copy) as well as CCTV footage showing the circumstances of its acquisition in the lawsuit filed by Byun, CEO of MediaWach, for damages against President Yoon Seok-yeol and People Power Party's acting chair Han Dong-hoon, in connection to tampering with the "second Choi Soon-sil tablet" (the tablet submitted by Jang Shi-ho to the special prosecutor).

Byun Hee-jae had previously requested CCTV footage of Jang Shi-ho entering and leaving the residence of Choi Seo-won (formerly known as Choi Soon-sil) around October 2016 and related investigative materials, as well as the imaging file of the 'second Choi Soon-sil tablet' seized by Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo on January 5, 2017 in the form of subpoena duces tecum. In an opinion submitted to the court on January 21, the prosecution asked the court to dismiss the request, saying that it would take a considerable amount of time to confirm the existence of the data and that it could harm national security and public welfare.

The Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 104 (Presiding Judge Lee Hoe-ki), who presided over Mr. Byun's case, determined that the prosecution's opinion was not based on reasonable grounds and denied the request. Accordingly, the court ordered the prosecution to produce the CCTV and imaging files related to the tablet on July 27. A copy of the Court's document containing subpoena duces tecum was confirmed to have been delivered to the prosecutors on the 29th.

At the request of Byun, the court had previously sent a request to the prosecution for the CCTV and imaging files on the 17th of last month. But this time the court issued a subpoena for the documents, showing the court's willingness to investigate the evidence.

"We will soon formally demand that the incumbent president, Yoon Seok-yeol, and the incumbent ruling party leader, Han Dong-hoon, be held accountable and confess to and reveal the truth about the unprecedented fabrication crimes, Byun said" 

"If they continue to cover up their crimes by hiding the evidence of fabrication, it will be inevitable for them to step down from power before the general election, depending on the gravity of the case," he added.

The next trial date, whereby the court will continue to hear whether the evidence was tampered with, is scheduled for January 18, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 479, East Building, Seoul Central District Court.