This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/world/asia/south-korean-agents-accused-of-tarring-opposition-before-election.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| South Korean Agents Accused of Tarring Opposition Before Election | South Korean Agents Accused of Tarring Opposition Before Election |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Nine agents from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea wrote more than 1,700 postings on the Internet in a psychological warfare campaign against North Korea last year, using some of them to attack domestic opposition parties and their candidates ahead of South Korea’s presidential election in December, state prosecutors said on Friday. | Nine agents from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea wrote more than 1,700 postings on the Internet in a psychological warfare campaign against North Korea last year, using some of them to attack domestic opposition parties and their candidates ahead of South Korea’s presidential election in December, state prosecutors said on Friday. |
| Their top supervisor, Won Sei-hoon, former director of the intelligence agency, was accused of overseeing the online operation and was indicted in the case on Friday. But prosecutors said they did not indict the nine agents because they were simply obeying Mr. Won’s instructions. | Their top supervisor, Won Sei-hoon, former director of the intelligence agency, was accused of overseeing the online operation and was indicted in the case on Friday. But prosecutors said they did not indict the nine agents because they were simply obeying Mr. Won’s instructions. |
| Mr. Won, who was not arrested, faced trial on charges of violating the national election law, which bans government officials from using their influence to affect an election, as well as violating a separate law that prohibits government intelligence officials from meddling in domestic politics. | Mr. Won, who was not arrested, faced trial on charges of violating the national election law, which bans government officials from using their influence to affect an election, as well as violating a separate law that prohibits government intelligence officials from meddling in domestic politics. |
| While announcing the result of their two-month-long investigation, prosecutors did not comment on whether or how the alleged operation by the intelligence agents affected the Dec. 19 election. President Park Geun-hye, the governing party candidate at the time, won one million votes more than her main rival, Moon Jae-in, the candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party and a key target of the intelligence agents’ online criticism. | |
| The agents used hundreds of Internet IDs to upload comments as part of what the intelligence authorities have called a normal psychological campaign against North Korea. The intelligence agency has accused North Korea of using the Internet to try to spread Communist propaganda and spawn anti-government sentiment in South Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries. | The agents used hundreds of Internet IDs to upload comments as part of what the intelligence authorities have called a normal psychological campaign against North Korea. The intelligence agency has accused North Korea of using the Internet to try to spread Communist propaganda and spawn anti-government sentiment in South Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries. |
| But prosecutors said that at least 67 of the postings uploaded by the agents between September and December last year criticized the main opposition Democratic Party, a minor progressive party and their presidential candidates, accusing them of being too soft on North Korea or sympathizing with it. Prosecutors said they would present the postings, some of which used offensive language, in court as evidence of illegal meddling in the presidential election. | But prosecutors said that at least 67 of the postings uploaded by the agents between September and December last year criticized the main opposition Democratic Party, a minor progressive party and their presidential candidates, accusing them of being too soft on North Korea or sympathizing with it. Prosecutors said they would present the postings, some of which used offensive language, in court as evidence of illegal meddling in the presidential election. |
| In their nationally televised announcement of their investigation results, prosecutors depicted the intelligence agents as overzealous officials who overstepped their normal job duties by using their anti-North Korean psychological operations to attack the domestic opposition's North Korea policies. The opposition parties have called for a new parliamentary investigation, claiming that the intelligence agency’s online activities were aimed directly at helping Ms. Park’s election. | |
| Ms. Park’s office did not comment on the prosecutor’s announcement on Friday. Mr. Won also was not immediately available for comment. But through his lawyers, he has denied interfering in the election, saying that his agency’s online activities were part of normal psychological operations focused on North Korea. | Ms. Park’s office did not comment on the prosecutor’s announcement on Friday. Mr. Won also was not immediately available for comment. But through his lawyers, he has denied interfering in the election, saying that his agency’s online activities were part of normal psychological operations focused on North Korea. |
| Mr. Won had served as the top intelligence official under President Lee Myung-bak, Ms. Park’s predecessor, until Ms. Park took office in February. | Mr. Won had served as the top intelligence official under President Lee Myung-bak, Ms. Park’s predecessor, until Ms. Park took office in February. |
| During the election campaign, the opposition claimed that the intelligence agency engaged in illegal campaigning for Ms. Park. But three days before the election, the police announced that they had investigated and found no evidence to support the opposition’s allegation. | During the election campaign, the opposition claimed that the intelligence agency engaged in illegal campaigning for Ms. Park. But three days before the election, the police announced that they had investigated and found no evidence to support the opposition’s allegation. |
| Kim Yong-pan, former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police, was indicted on Friday on charges of withholding criminal evidence in an attempt to illegally intervene in the police investigation by junior officers. | Kim Yong-pan, former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police, was indicted on Friday on charges of withholding criminal evidence in an attempt to illegally intervene in the police investigation by junior officers. |