Prosecutors on the Move to Find Out Targets of the Wiretapping Equipment

On August 26, an investigative team at the Seoul Central District Public Prosecutor`s Office, which is investigating wiretapping conducted by the National Security Planning Agency (NSPA, the predecessor of the NIS) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said that it is investigating applications for the use of portable mobile phone wiretapping equipment (CASS) and wired communications network wiretapping equipment (R-2) and attempting to identify who were the targets of wiretapping. The investigative team obtained those applications when it conducted a search and seizure at the NIS.

An official of the Seoul Central District Public Prosecutor`s Office said, “We secured applications for the use of the wiretapping equipment as well as documents containing plans with regard to what would be done with the equipment when we conducted the search and seize at the NIS on August 5. We are now trying to find out who were the targets of the wiretapping.”

The Seoul Central District Public Prosecutor`s Office said, through the seizure and search at the NIS, it secured documents showing that CASS had been used until March or April of 2001.

Tae-Hoon Lee jefflee@donga.com