The co-CEO of Daum Kakao, the operator of South Korea's top smartphone messenger Kakao Talk, reaffirmed his position Thursday that the company will not respond to warrants from prosecutors seeking to access private messages exchanged on its flagship service.

Last month, President Park Geun-hye ordered prosecutors to look into the spread of malicious rumors about individuals on social media services, prompting concerns that investigators may search through private chat histories to sift out comments antagonistic to the administration. 

It also caused users of Kakao Talk, a smart phone-based service used by 35 million of the country's 50 million-strong populace, to switch to a previously little-known Germany-based competitor, Telegram.

Amid mounting concerns, Lee offered an apology earlier this week, vowing that the country's top mobile messenger operator will no longer respond to court-issued warrants to access private chat records. 

"It means that the company will no longer gather and give the chat records of the prior week to (the prosecution)," Lee Sirgoo said in response to questions from lawmakers during a parliamentary audit of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office.

Prosecutors had launched a new task force, vowing strong action against anyone who spreads false information that could bring about social confusion and discord, causing Kakao users to worry about the privacy of their chats.

The prosecution's move came just two days after President Park lashed out at insulting remarks about her on the Internet, saying that such conduct hurts the stature of South Korea and its people. 

Kim Soo-nam, the head of Seoul District Prosecutors' Office, meanwhile, said the prosecution will come up with measures to minimize possible rights violations amid concerns about freedom of expression in one of the world's most wired nations.

"From now on, I, as the chief prosecutor, will oversee all of the cases," Kim said during the audit.

Kim further argued that 50 warrants that had been issued were all related to the investigation of national security law breaches not defamation. (Yonhap)