NIS Agents: NIS Conducted Illegal Bugging Operations

Prosecutors currently probing into the bugging scandal involving the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during the Kim Dae-jung administration yesterday obtained statements from NIS agents of the then-Division Eight in charge of wiretapping operations saying that they conducted wiretapping operations on phone calls between domestic figures on an average of 20 cases per day during former NIS Deputy Director Kim Eun-seong’s term of office (April 2000 to November 2001).

They stated that an investigation revealed that then-head of the Division Eight reported one to two significant conversations’ contents among those cases to Kim and then-NIS director through a telecommunication tip-style report which contains the persons, place, and specific time.

Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office view those operations as illegal on the grounds that even if the NIS had submitted the then president-approved documents that allowed the NIS to conduct wiretapping operations without court-issued warrants to some telephone companies’ offices, intercepting phone calls between domestic people would not be acknowledged by the president.

Prosecutors also obtained statements and related materials revealing that, in addition to the R2 team, another bugging team was formed only to eavesdrop on wired phone calls for the purpose of investigation under the Division Eight during Kim’s tenure.

Prosecutors sent Lee Jong-chan, who served as NIS director when the NIS developed R2 (bugging device) and used it for those operations, a summons asking him to appear at their office early next week.

woogija@donga.com