`Spy agency destroyed evidence in slander case against Moon`

The election camp of Democratic United Party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in said on Friday intelligence authorities might have destroyed evidence. The party failed to present proof for the fourth day that an agent posted online comments slandering Moon ahead of Wednesday`s election.

Party spokesman Jin Seong-jun said Wednesday and Thursday that his party will release evidence depending on how the National Intelligence Service dealt with the case or “when necessary.” Moon’s camp has repeatedly claimed that other agents are intervening in the election and that the party has a “concrete tip-off and decisive evidence.”

The agent in question, however, submitted her laptop and desktop computers to police Thursday and intelligence authorities denied involvement in a parliamentary intelligence committee session. This prompted the party to change its position on Friday, raising the possibility of destruction of evidence or insisting that parties wait until the official investigation ends.

Jin told a news briefing that the agent submitted her laptop three days after the party first made the allegation, claiming that she had been either “intentionally dragging her feet” to prevent the probe results from coming out before the presidential election or tried to earn time to “destroy evidence.”

Chung Sye-kyun, a standing party adviser, accused the spy agency of refusing to allow a police investigation to buy time to “destroy evidence.” Still, he did not mention whether his party had evidence, just saying his party would wait until "law enforcement agencies shed light on the truth."

zeitung@donga.com