South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party on Monday said it will look into allegations that the nation's spy agency conducted illegal surveillance on the Constitutional Court, which is currently reviewing the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
The move came after a local broadcaster alleged that the National Intelligence Service has been collecting information on the Constitutional Court.
Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the Democratic Party (Yonhap)
"If it is true, it is a criminal act that cannot be overlooked," said Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the party.
"The NIS is only allowed to investigate suspects of pro-North Korean activities and terrorism, according to its law."
On Sunday, the NIS claimed the allegation is "groundless" and said it plans to file a suit against the report to the Press Arbitration Commission.
"The report, which was attributed to an anonymous former staffer of the NIS, do not have any evidence nor testimonies," the NIS said in a statement.
Despite the statement, however, Woo said the party will continue to look deeper into the allegation.
"We need to reveal who ordered the surveillance and how the order was delivered," Woo said.
The Constitutional Court is widely expected to announce its decision whether to officially approve Park's impeachment as early as Friday. Park was impeached by the parliament in December on a corruption scandal. (Yonhap)