Government Investigates Dong-A Reporter’s Cell Phone Records

The government has reportedly run down the telephone records of a Dong-A reporter while it investigated security leaks concerning Dong-A’s exclusive report on a secret visit by Wu Dawei, the Chinese assistant foreign minister responsible for Asia, to Seoul, which elicited criticism that the government is effectively curbing media activity.

The government reportedly started the probes, following complaints by the Chinese who had demanded Wu’s visit to be completely confidential.

“A security officer came to the foreign ministry on August 24,” said a foreign ministry source. “He checked the cell-phone records of the Dong-A reporter who ran the expose against the cell phone numbers of foreign ministry officials. He also interviewed officials involved with Wu’s visit.”

“This is a security breach. We have conducted security probes as stipulated by law,” the National Intelligence Service said, replying the request by Dong-A for confirming whether there was such a probe. “We cannot confirm whether we checked the Dong-A reporter’s phone record or not because that may contravene the confidentiality clause of the Communication Confidentiality Law.”

Lee Seok-yeon, the lawyer who has served as a researcher at the Constitutional Court, said, “The Communication Confidentiality Law allows unwarranted probes into personal communication records when national security is at risk.” He added, “The measure taken by the NIS could be criticized as arbitrary.”

Hyong-gwon Pu Seung-Ryun Kim bookum90@donga.com srkim@donga.com