The Prosecutor’s Office searched the building housing the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Friday following a charge brought by MBC that reporters from the Hankyoreh newspaper had engaged in illegal wiretapping of people involved in the sale of the foundation’s stocks.

In mid-October, the Hankyoreh reported that it had obtained a transcript of a private conversation between Choi Phil-lip, the foundation’s chairman of the board, and Lee Jin-sook, MBC’s planning and public relations chief, that took place on Oct. 8th to discuss the sale of the foundation’s stake in the broadcaster MBC and the regional newspaper Busan Ilbo.

MBC accused the reporters from Hankyoreh of engaging in illegal wiretapping and made a formal charge at the Southern Seoul Prosecutor’s Office. MBC also argued that the newspaper’s report on the Jeongsu Foundation and its plan to sell its shares in MBC to provide financial aid to college students was false. The broadcaster filed a request at the Press Arbitration Commission for a correction to be made.

Prosecutors reportedly obtained records of surveillance footage and other information relevant to figuring out how the Hankyoreh newspaper conducted its reporting.

Hankyoreh’s news coverage prompted heavy political wrangling between the ruling and opposition parties. The main opposition Democratic United Party claimed the Jeongsu Foundation, still linked to Saenuri presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, was attempting to help her campaign. It led to Park holding a press conference last week denying her connection.

By Samuel Songhoon Lee (songhoon@heraldcorp.com)