Date: November 16, 2005 7:16:48 PM PST
Subject: [Spy News] Spy Agency Bugged 1,800 High-Profile Figures
Spy Agency Bugged 1,800 High-Profile Figures
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Lim Dong-won, left, and Shin Gunn, former National Intelligence Service
(NIS) directors, walk out of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office
in southern Seoul Tuesday night to head for the Seoul Detention Center,
after arrest warrants were issued on charges of directing the NIS’ illegal
wiretapping.
/ Yonhap
The nation’s spy agency eavesdropped cell phone conversations of some 1,800
high-profile figures such as politicians and businessmen, including former
president Kim Young-sam, during the Kim Dae-jung administration, according
to the prosecution.
Prosecutors announced the details of the National Intelligence Service (NIS)
’s illegal wiretapping operation Tuesday night when arrest warrants for
former agency chiefs were issued.
Lim Dong-won, 71, who headed the NIS from 1999 to 2001, and Shin Gunn, 64,
who succeeded Lim as director through 2003, were arrested on charges of
directing intelligence agents to spy on high-profile figures.
They received six to 10 reports everyday about the tapped conversations of
those on the top-class watch list, and encouraged the tapping unit to
collect more information about them, according to the prosecution.
The court warrant and the prosecution’s investigation showed that the agency
’s illegal activities had not only involved key figures but included
surveillance on leaders at large, with 1,800 phone numbers recorded on the
bugging devices.
Those whose cell phone conversations were eavesdropped included former
president Kim Young-sam, who preceded Kim Dae-jung.
The prosecution said the NIS tapped a conversation between Kim and former
Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker Park Chong-ung, who staged a hunger
strike in protest against the government’s tax investigation into newspaper
companies in 2001.
Opposition party lawmakers who conflicted with the government over several
issues were also under surveillance, as well as conservative writer Ji
Man-won who criticized the former government’s sunshine policy, and former
GNP lawmaker Kang Sam-jae who was involved in a scandal in 2000 about the
NIS fund embezzlement.
The spy agency also watched the movements of Lee Hyong-taek, former
president Kim’s nephew-in-law who was involved in a financial-political
scandal perpetrated by venture businessman Lee Yong-ho.
Park Jie-won, then chief presidential secretary and confidential aide of
ex-president Kim, could not avoid surveillance regarding the scandal of Suzi
Kim who was condemned as a North Korean spy by the NIS in an attempt to
silence the anti-government movement.
The NIS also spied on the government’s sunshine policy and Hyundai Asan’s
business with the North, by wiretapping cell phone conversations between the
late Chung Mong-hun, former Asan chairman, and Kim Yoon-kyu, former vice
chairman of the group.
Issuing the arrest warrants, the court said it decided to arrest them
despite their contributions to the nation and Lim’s old age, due to the
severity of the matter.
Following the arrest of the former directors, the prosecution will now focus
on revealing how the spy agency made use of the collected information.
Former president Kim’s aides strongly denounced the arrest, calling it
immoral and unfair. ``Those who protected the nation were arrested while
professor Kang Jeong-koo, who offended the national identity by making
remarks in violation of the national security law, was not,’’ Kim’s aide
Choi Kyong-hwan said.
The former president had demanded the prosecution retract the warrant
request.
Ruling Uri Party’s interim chairman Chung Sye-kyun expressed his regret
about their arrest, saying the people would think it judicially unsound.
``They were arrested despite their contributions to improving inter-Korean
relations. The prosecution should make efforts to uncover illegal operations
during the Kim Young-sam government,’’ Chung said.
While criticizing the former administration’s systematic wiretapping
operation, the GNP is closely watching the case, as further investigations
may also implicate the opposition party in illegal activities during the Kim
Young-sam government.
11-16-2005 17:31
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