[News Today] CIO PROBES LOBBYING ATTEMPT

[LEAD]
Now regarding the death of a marine soldier last year, which we've been reporting a couple of times now, allegations have surfaced that the presidential office was actually involved.

This dates back to the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation scandal involving the first lady, where a businessman surnamed Lee has been implicated. The CIO has obtained a recording suggesting that this man attempted to advocate for ex-Marine Corps Commander Im Seong-geun. The Presidential Office states that the President and his spouse were not involved in the case.

[REPORT]
Ex-Marine and attorney A provided this transcript to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

The file contains a phone call with a Mr. Lee, another ex-Marine-turned-businessman, pointing to Mr. Lee trying to save former Marine Corps First Division Commander Im Seong-geun.

Call between a Mr. Lee and Mr. "A"
Last Aug. (VOICE MODIFIED)

"○○ called me to say that Commander Im is going to resign. So I told him not to resign and that I would talk to the VIP."

Mr. A
"The higher up will protect him? The VIP will?"

"Yes."

Lee was named an accomplice in the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation case. He is also known to have discussed a golf outing with the former Marine Corps commander through a messenger service in May 2023.

When the transcript was released, the parties involved all claimed that it is not true.

Lee said in a call with KBS that the transcript was distorted, claiming that he was telling A about the text messages between the ex-Commander and another person.

Ex-Commander Im previously said that he had never met Lee.

As for the transcript, he claimed that he had never told any civilian about his decision to resign around that time, so Lee must have found out through the news. Im explained that the lobbying attempt to save him would have been impossible given the time frame.

The Office of the President maintained that neither the Office nor the President and the First Lady had anything to do with the lobbying attempt and vowed to respond strongly to the spread of false information.

The CIO is fact-checking to find out whether Lee had actually engaged in lobbying activities or the statement was exaggerated.