GNP Presses Charges Against Former NIS Official

Reportedly, a task force under the wing of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), which viewed the real estate records of Kim Jae-jeong, brother-in-law of former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak, has reported to Cheong Wa Dae the results of its activities.

Lawmakers Shim Jae-cheol and Cha Myeong-jin quoted Kim Man-bok, the director of the NIS, as saying that the task force reports the results from activities to the office of the presidential secretary for civil affairs depending on the case at a protest visit by the Grand National Party’s national committee against shady politics (chairman: Ahn Sang-su).

Lawmakers added Director Kim’s remarks that the anti-corruption task force belongs to the department of domestic affairs and outreach, which still runs several task force teams. However, it was told that he refused to elaborate about the number of the teams and their members.

Kim was also reported to have explained that four channels of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NIS form the national security net, and that the NIS must take official steps to view credential records while the intelligence agency is part of the national administrative computing network.

With regard to the possibility of a meeting with Uri Party floor leader Jang Yeong-dal and former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who raised suspicions over the classified information about presidential hopefuls, former mayor Lee Myung-bak and GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye, Director Kim said, “I have never talked about the secret information on the phone, and this is all I can tell you.”

In response to the GNP’s claim of political scrutiny and intervention by the NIS, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Cheon Ho-seon said, “The presidential office will not discuss the legitimacy of the case, which prosecutors have already launched investigation into. It was wise and useful for the NIS to share corruption-related information with other investigative agencies.”

The spokesperson also said that claiming Cheong Wa Dae has interfered with politics through the NIS task force is an utter absurdity and distortion of the truth, and he asked for a speedy investigation by prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the GNP decided to press charges against former NIS deputy director Lee Sang-up and other related individuals with the prosecutors` office regarding the real estate record inspection on July 18.

GNP Chairman Kang Jae-seop announced the decision in a leadership meeting held at GNP headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, saying that he was alarmed to know the NIS is capable of prying into people’s lives through 17 administrative computing networks.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors` Office currently investigating into information leakage case related to the former Seoul mayor, said that the office called on the NIS to submit a report on audit results to clear suspicions over a high ranking NIS official, who allegedly viewed the real estate records of the former mayor’s relative.

Prosecutors assigned to Seoul Central Prosecutors` Office the case where the GNP requested their investigation into the NIS and director Kim over a NIS report associated with former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye, posted on the website of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan yesterday.

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