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South Korean Agents Accused of Tarring Opposition Before Election South Korean Agents Accused of Tarring Opposition Before Election
(about 5 hours 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. SEOUL, South Korea — Nine agents from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service wrote more than 5,000 posts on the Internet in a psychological warfare campaign against North Korea since 2009, 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, the former director of the intelligence agency, was accused of overseeing the online operation and was indicted on Friday. But prosecutors said they did not indict the nine agents because they were simply obeying Mr. Won’s instructions — a decision that the political opposition called a whitewash on Friday.
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, faces trial on charges of breaking the national election law, which bans government officials from using their influence to affect a vote, 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. While announcing the results of their two-month investigation, prosecutors did not comment on whether or how the intelligence agents’ operation affected the Dec. 19 election. President Park Geun-hye, the governing party’s candidate, won one million more votes than her chief 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 antigovernment sentiment in South Korea, one of the world’s most Internet-connected 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 the intelligence agents also uploaded over 1,700 posts that meddled in domestic politics, the prosecutors said in a statement. The agents’ online comments often attacked labor activists, opposition politicians and other critics of the government, branding them as “leftist followers of North Korea.”
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. The government critics “are trying to take power in connection with the North, and if we don’t respond decisively this year, the National Intelligence Service will disappear,” Mr. Won said during a meeting with senior intelligence officials in February 2012, according to the prosecutors’ statement.
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. Prosecutors saw said least 73 of the posts uploaded by the agents between September and December as attempts to influence the presidential election. They criticized the main opposition Democratic Party and a minor progressive party and their presidential candidates, accusing them of being too soft on North Korea or sympathizing with it.
In their nationally televised announcement of the investigation’s results, prosecutors depicted the intelligence agents as overzealous officials who overstepped their 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.
On Friday, they also called on President Park’s justice minister and chief secretary of legal affairs to step down, accusing them of pressuring the prosecutors to whitewash their inquiry and limit the potential political fallout against Ms. Park. They and the prosecutors both denied the opposition’s accusations.
Ms. Park’s office did not comment on the prosecutors’ 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 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 accusations.
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, the former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police, was indicted Friday on charges of withholding criminal evidence in an attempt to illegally intervene in the police investigation by junior officers.