Prosecutors launched a new investigation Monday into allegations that South Korea's main intelligence agency orchestrated cyber operations to sway voters in the 2012 presidential election, after they were given the findings of an internal probe.
The internal investigation team at the National Intelligence Service announced earlier this month that the spy agency operated up to 30 "extra-departmental teams," many involving Internet-savvy civilians, for election-meddling operations.
The team put the blame on Won Sei-hoon, who led the NIS from 2009-2013 under the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration. Won is on trial for allegedly pulling the strings of the cyber operations to influence the 2012 vote in favor of then-conservative candidate Park Geun-hye.
(Yonhap)
Days before the presidential polls, members of the NIS' anti-North Korea psychological warfare team posted messages critical of then main opposition candidate Moon Jae-in and supporting Park on social networking and news websites. Park was elected by a narrow margin, according to the internal investigation.
The NIS investigation team has handed over its findings to the prosecution.
One of the key points in the prosecution's investigation is how far it will go, including who else, in addition to the former NIS chief, would be investigated.
The prosecution is also expected to look into other illegal political activities of the spy agency. Some even speculate that top officials of the government of then President Lee Myung-bak could be a target of the investigation.
President Moon Jae-in has vowed to reform the NIS by making it focus on collecting and analyzing intelligence and information on North Korea and foreign affairs. The task force also investigated a dozen other cases of the agency's alleged past wrongdoings. (Yonhap)
