NIS Chief during Kim Dae-jung Administration to be Summoned Soon

The prosecution, investigating the National Intelligence Service (NIS) wiretapping case, acknowledged de facto the reports by Dong-a Ilbo revealing that NIS agents confessing to the “NIS wiretapping material” disclosed by Grand National Party (GNP) lawmakers prior to the 2002 presidential elections were in fact created by the NIS.

A senior official of the Seoul Central District Prosecution’s Office said, “It is difficult to comment on the case since it is still under investigation. However, with a little time once the truth is revealed, we will announce the results.”

The NIS wiretapping document, disclosed by GNP lawmaker Chung Hyung-keun sometime around October 2002, contained a phone conversation between a Hanhwa Group official and an official of Cheong Wa Dae that occurred in May and September of the same year.

Wiretapping documents disclosed by GNP lawmakers Lee Bu-young and Kim Young-il contained conversations of the Kim Dae-jung administration’s key influential people, which occurred between January and late March 2002.

If it is confirmed by the prosecution’s investigation that the wiretapping documents disclosed by Chung were in fact created by the NIS, it will overturn significant portions of the NIS’ statement on August 5 claiming, “All bugging devices were disposed of in March 2002.”

The prosecution recently summoned a NIS section chief who is known to have provided the wiretapping document to Chung, and it is reported that the NIS Scientific Security bureau chief at the time will also be summoned and investigated on September 26.

The prosecution also plans to start summoning and investigating, maybe as soon as this weekend, former NIS Chief Shin Kuhn and other NIS chiefs during the Kim Dae-jung administration as well as GNP officials.

It plans to ask them if they knew that some of their agents were engaged in eavesdropping, and if they had been informed of eavesdropped material or had leaked it outside.

The prosecution has also announced that it obtained an eavesdropped tape during a search and seizure of a former NIS high official who worked in a section related to the NIS wiretapping, and it is now analyzing it.

A prosecution official said, “Two weeks ago, we seized a tape that seemed to have problems. We are checking when and how this tape was made.”

The prosecution believes the tape was made by NIS agents during the Kim Dae-jung administration using wire relay network eavesdropping device called R-2.

Tae-Hoon Lee woogija@donga.com jefflee@donga.com