Prosecutors have requested warrants to arrest two former journalists accused of accepting bribes from a key figure in the Seongnam development corruption scandal.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Thursday filed for the arrest warrants against a former deputy director at local daily Hankyoreh, identified by surname Seok, and a former executive at The JoongAng daily, identified by surname Cho, on charges of violating the anti-graft law.

Seok and Cho are suspected of receiving bribes from Kim Man-bae in exchange for preventing news reporting critical of the Daejang-dong development project, while publishing articles that were in favor.

Seok allegedly received 890 million won, or around 645-thousand U.S. dollars, between May 2019 and August 2020, while Cho allegedly received 201 million won between April 2019 and August 2021.

A third former journalist who had served as an executive at the Hankook Ilbo daily was recently found dead in an apparent suicide, amid allegations that he had borrowed 100 million won from Kim in May 2020.