DA`s Office Arrests Three Suspected of Illegal Wiretapping

Public Security Division 2 of the Seoul District Public Prosecutors` Office announced yesterday that it arrested three people including one senior agent of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for leakage of classified information. The DA`s Office has been investigating the wiretapping scandal, which alleges that the intelligence body was engaged in illegal wiretapping.

In a raid conducted before dawn yesterday, the DA`s office rounded up the three suspects, and searched their offices and houses upon obtaining warrants from the court. Two of the suspects, who are "civilians" without any history of working for the intelligence body, are charged with having conspired with the arrested NIS official.

"The DA`s Office is concentrating its investigation on how the classified information was leaked out. For now, there is no evidence connecting their activity to the wiretapping scandal disclosed by the Grand National Party last November," a prosecutor familiar with the case said.

The prosecution believes that the three suspects handed over information to an unknown outsider of an investigation conducted by the NIS internal affairs division after the Grand National Party`s disclosure of the wiretapping scandal. The DA`s Office has reportedly questioned the suspects for their connection with the party with regard to the scandal.

Upon verifying their illegal conduct, the prosecution plans to file for the arrest warrant.

Prior to the arrest, the NIS reportedly conducted an internal inspection as to the scandal and follow-up leakage of information, and, based on the inspection, found its senior agent was involved. Thus, the organization is said to have disciplined him.

"As far as I know, the other two suspects went to the same college, while Park went to the same graduate school with one of them. Thus, the three got to know each other, and have maintained a good relationship so far," said a source familiar with Park, one of the three suspects arrested yesterday.

Park was last arrested in December 2001 on embezzlement charges. Park allegedly received 500 million won from Kim Jae-hwan for arrangement of a good defense lawyer for Jin Seung-hyun, but pocketed one fifth of the amount. Kim once worked for the NIS and served as CEO of MCI Korea, which was established by Jin, a person who was involved in another political scandal and later indicted.

The other civilian suspect, whose last name is Jee, served as secretary general of an alumni organization of a university that the arrested NIS agent and he attended. When a bank scandal erupted in 2000, Jee, along with his college pal Song, then NIS senior official, lobbied for the release of Lee Woon-young, who was indicted for his involvement in the bank scandal.

Sang-Rok Lee myzodan@donga.com