The National Intelligence Service of the Republic of Korea’s illegal eavesdropping case occurred during the Kim Dae-Jung administration when the National Intelligence Service was wiretapping civilians and the opposite political party’s politicians. It was revealed by the Grand National Party lawmaker Chung Hyung-Geun in October 2002, and was considered an election disclosure ahead of the presidential election; however, three years of the investigation confirmed that the allegation of NIS wiretapping was true. In December 2000, during the so-called 'Kwon No-gap's resignation scandal', the phone conversations of young Democratic Party lawmakers and those involved in Jin Seung-Hyun's gate were wiretapped. At the time of Choi Kyu-sun's gate in 2000, it was confirmed that Choi Kyu-sun's business operations, money and women relations, and the details of personnel appointments of high-ranking officials such as the NIS director were also wiretapped.
It has been also confirmed that a phone call by ULD lawmaker Lee regarding Hwang Jang-Yup's visit to the U.S. in 2001 and the dismissal of Unification Minister Lim Dong-won in the same year were also wiretapped. In April 2001, a telephone conversation between Kim Yoon-hwan of the Democratic People's Party and Kim Yoon-Hwan of the Democratic Party was also wiretapped. The contents of the NIS's call to the Provincial Police Agency between 1998 and 2002 were compiled into several A4 paper reports. The reports were reported to the directors through the deputy director of the National Intelligence Service.
In April 2005, prosecutors concluded that documents released by Rep. Chung Hyung-Geun of the Grand National Party in 2002 as wiretapping details of the NIS cannot be regarded as documents made by the NIS due to different forms and texts. However, after the prosecution's reinvestigation into the Mirim team and Samsung's X-file scandal that year, the National Intelligence Service's wiretapping was confirmed to be true. Soon after, the board members of the National Intelligence Service and Kim-Eun Seong, the Second Conductor were arrested. Because there were concealment instructions and additional suspicion, the director and other related people were punished.
Background In September and October 2002, Rep. Chung Hyung-Keun raised suspicions of illegal wiretapping by the NIS through the standing committee and the parliamentary audit. In December, additional revelations by Lee Bu-young, vice chairman of the GNP's election committee, were exposed. In October 2002, the alleged wiretapping of the National Intelligence Service, which was raised by Rep. Chung Hyung-Geun of the Grand National Party, was amplified by media reports, which later turned into political issues. However, there was no specific evidence, so it remained a suspicion. It was revealed in 2005 after the Mirim team investigation.
During the 2002 South Korean presidential election, Chung Hyung-Geun obtained a copy of the documents confirming that the NIS was wiretapping some opposing party's politicians in the summer of 2002. In September and October of that year, Chung Hyung-Geun announced the rest of the documents to the National Assembly.
In March 2005, the South Korean prosecution was also reportedly planning to clear the NIS's alleged wiretapping of mobile phones, which Rep. Chung Hyung-Keun revealed. However, in July of that year, the secret inspection of the Mirim Team was revealed by Kim Ki-sam and Gong Eun-Yeong and others, and the investigation began again.
National Assemblyman Chung Hyung-Keun's disclosure In October 2002, Chung Hyung-Keun of the Grand National Party released 25 pages of A4 paper, saying, "It contains details of wiretapping by the National Intelligence Service," which sparked a series of accusations and solidarity of participation between the ruling and opposition parties.
The accusation spread after failing to prove the charges in detail other than the documents. The case, which was raised through the National Assemblyman Chung Hyung-Keun's revelation, became an issue as media reports such as "the National Intelligence Service is securing mobile phone wiretapping equipment," followed by complaints and accusations. At that time, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed a complaint with the NIS, the Grand National Party lawmakers filed a complaint against the NIS chief at the time, and the NIS staff accused the GNP lawmakers of defamation.
Six complaints were filed by Rep. Chung Hyung-Keun of the Grand National Party regarding the alleged wiretapping of the National Intelligence Service's mobile phone. The prosecution concluded the accusation case by deciding that it was innocent and not guilty. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said on 1 April, "The investigation so far has not confirmed that the NIS has illegally wiretapped the police department of public security at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Accordingly, the prosecution cleared all six accusations and accusations filed after disclosing 25 pages of A4 paper submitted by Rep. Chung Hyung-Keun of the 2 Grand National Party.
The prosecution's acquittal In April 2005, prosecutors claimed that cell phone wiretapping was impossible. They said that the NIS can't collect information by conducting massive mobile phone wiretapping every minute, just like the alleged wiretapping of the National Intelligence Service.
"It's impossible to wiretap a cell phone unless you follow someone who wants to wiretap while moving the entire base station."
The prosecution explained the reason why wiretapping mobile phones are "theoretically possible but practically impossible." According to a survey conducted by experts and university professors at each telecommunications company, cell phone call voice data can be coded and tapped within 250 meters, but it is not realistic to have such equipment within a few hundred meters. A prosecution official said, "Even if it was within a 250-meter radius, not all of them could be wiretapped, and technically only a part of the radius can be wiretapped."
The prosecution also concluded that some claims that wiretapping is possible with a cloned cell phone during the interview on 1 April 2005, were groundless. According to the prosecution's experiment with the experts, when one cell phone was opened when the phone was called, the other cell phone turned off and the contents of the call were not heard. Prosecutors also said they had asked CCS about allegations that the U.S. CCS developed and sold mobile phone wiretapping devices in Korea through the U.S. Justice Department and judicial cooperation. The prosecution conducted various experiments on the possibility of mobile phone wiretapping but failed to reveal the source of the "National Intelligence Service wiretapping document" revealed by Rep. Chung Hyung-Keun.
The data still contains highly reliable information, especially Hanwha's alleged acquisition of Korea Life Insurance, which still raises questions about the source, but Chung, a reference, did not cooperate with the investigation, and no progress was made. The prosecution applied to the court for a pre-trial witness interrogation of lawmaker Chung but only fined him ₩500,000 (won) through the court for failing to attend.
NIS wiretapping activities In December 2000, during the so-called 'Kwon No-gap's resignation scandal', phone conversations of young Democratic Party lawmakers and those involved in Jin Seung-hyun's gate were wiretapped. At the time of Choi Kyu-sun's gate in 2000, it was confirmed that Choi Kyu-sun's business operations, money, and women relations, and the details of personnel appointments of high-ranking officials such as the NIS director were surveilled by wiretapping.
The NIS illegally used the R-2 wire monitoring system between 2000 and 2001. At that time, when digital cell phones began commercializing in 1996, the NIS developed six sets of R2s from 1998 to 1999 to wiretap mobile phones. In April 2001, Democratic Party leader Kim Yoon-hwan and Democratic Party representative Choi Kyu-sun, the head of the Future Urban Environment, and related figures were also wiretapped by the Choi Kyu-sun Gate, a power corruption case.
It has been confirmed that the contents of the ULD lawmaker Lee's phone call regarding Hwang Jang-yup's visit to the U.S. in 2001 and the dismissal of Unification Minister Lim Dong-won in the same year were also wiretapped. In April 2001, a telephone conversation between Kim Yoon-hwan of the Democratic People's Party and Kim Yoon-hwan of the Democratic Party also wiretapped. The contents of the NIS's call to the Provincial Police Agency between 1998 and 2002 were compiled into several A4 paper reports. At that time, NIS officials were reported to Deputy Director Kim Eun-sung and others every day in a half-sized report on A4 paper about the information gained by wiretapping.
According to Kim Eun-sung, the format of the intelligence report is to, "Write a title on a half-sized A4 paper, draw a line under the title, write a brief line, 'Hong Gil-dong talked to someone on the phone.'
The 25-page A4 data submitted by Chung Hyeong-Keun in October 2002 saying, "It contains the details of the National Intelligence Service's phone wiretapping," turned out to be true three years after the initial announcement in October 2002. However, during the investigation, the two former NIS chiefs flatly denied the allegations, and after the arrest, statements, and additional evidence of some director-level or higher officials, the full story was revealed in November 2005.
Wiretapping of the Democratic Party of Korea's younger politicians The provincial government is not just for the Grand National Party, the Liberal Democratic Union, and the Democratic People's Party, but also for younger members of the Democratic Party. From October 2000 to November 2001, Kim Eun-sung, deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, and others are suspected of ordering NIS officials to illegally spy on politicians and others using wiretapping equipment.
The scandal is spreading as he ordered the then supreme council member Kwon Noh-Kap of the Democratic Party to listen to phone calls made between young members of the Democratic Party over the resignation in December 2000. According to a prosecutor's investigation in September 2005, the NIS also ordered Jin Seung-Hyun, a party of the gate, to wiretap several unspecified calls related to his acquisition of the company and illegal loans.
NIS wiretapping and wiretapping practices Former NIS chiefs and intelligence chiefs have ordered a ban on the provincial government. However, after their instructions, the provincial governor's report continued to be posted, and the directors and managers continued to receive it. After the charges were revealed in October 2005, Kim Eun-sung, one of the commanders of the case, admitted during the trial that the provincial government had already existed since before the Korean Central Intelligence Agency became the NIS in 1999. At the second hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court on 28 November, Kim Eun-sung said he knew there had been illegal wiretapping since the early 1970s when he joined the office.
"The defendant has served at the NIS since 1971," Kim said after making a statement to the effect that he "feels responsible for wiretapping" in a lawyer's newspaper. The "When did you know that employees were illegally wiretapping?" was asked in the court, he answered, "I knew from the beginning of my employment." It has been around since the early 1970s.