Prosecutors said Monday they have indicted a local journalist on charges of defaming a ruling party lawmaker by filing a "false" report that her daughter received a favor in the college entrance process.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said the journalist, identified only by his surname Hwang, is accused of reporting that Sungshin Women's University overlooked irregularities related to Rep. Na Kyung-won's daughter in return for favors. The lawmakers is a member of the Saenuri Party.

The lawmaker's mentally handicapped daughter was admitted to the school's applied music department in 2012 after taking the special exam for students with disabilities in November 2011.

According to the report filed by Newstapa, an online news outlet run by the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism, in March, the daughter revealed that her mother is Rep. Na during the interview. The interview had also been interrupted for about 30 minutes so the daughter, identified only by her surname Kim, could secure a cassette player so she could play with accompaniment.

Prosecutors, however, said there is no regulation banning applicants from revealing their personal information, including members of their family, in the admission rules for disabled students. They also said applicants are not required to bring any musical devices for background music but are also not prevented from using them as well, so providing a person a cassette player cannot be seen as giving undue favor. (Yonhap)