Wiretap Investigation Expands

The wiretapping investigation team of the Seoul Central District Public Prosecutors’ Office (DPO) currently investigating the National Intelligence Service (NIS) wiretapping case believes the NIS tapped the Grand National Party and conservative groups that opposed the tax investigation of the press in 2001.

The prosecution is interrogating Kim Eun-sung (arrested), former NIS assistant director, on whether the NIS wiretapped owners of press companies as well.

The prosecution has discovered that the cell phone numbers of important figures in civil groups such as Choi Yeol, advisor at the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, and Kim Ki-shik, director at the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Government, have been inputted into cable network wiretapping devices called R-2.

Lee Nam-sun, former chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Dan Byung-ho (Democratic Labor Party representative), former chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, have also been targets for wiretapping.

In regards to speculations that Samsung handed over illegal funds to presidential candidates during the 1997 election, the prosecution is looking into the source of the funds that Samsung supposedly gave to Lee Hoi-sung, the brother of Lee Hoi-chang who was then a Grand National Party candidate.

Tae-Hoon Lee jefflee@donga.com