This was always a concern that this agency would be used for partisan purposes by whoever was in charge at the time and that is what the opposition is claiming is happening now with the collecting of phone records of conservative media figures:
The state-run anti-corruption office is under fire over allegations that it searched through the phone records of reporters and citizens critical of the organization and the government.
Korea Times
The agency claims that this was a due, legal process and that it only checked the information of those who had phone calls with some of the people it is investigating. However, there is speculation that this may expand into an illegal surveillance scandal.
When checking phone records, the investigation agency receives personal information including subscriber name, resident registration number and address from the relevant telecommunications company. If the person whose phone records were checked asks the telecommunications company, it has to inform them of the details of when and which investigative agencies have requested data within the past year.
According to local telecommunications companies, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has asked for the phone records of at least 10 journalists from several conservative news outlets on multiple occasions.
In detail, the CIO requested the phone records of six reporters from the Chosun Ilbo on 12 occasions from July to October, while it also rifled through the phone logs of three reporters from the Joongang Ilbo 11 times from May to October.
You can read more at the link.
Anyone surprised by this news?:
Accusations that the Moon Jae-in Blue House spied on private citizens broadened on Tuesday after a local broadcaster reported that the presidential office’s special inspection bureau looked into a corruption allegation about Airport Railroad, a private operator of trains connecting Incheon International Airport and downtown Seoul.
Joong Ang Ilbo
After Channel A ran a report on its evening news show on Monday, the Blue House said it was a mere mistake: The bureau’s head erroneously thought the firm was a public company due to its “name and characteristic of work.”
Opposition parties aren’t buying that explanation. The Liberty Korea Party threatened to bring the case to the National Assembly for a parliamentary investigation unless the Moon Blue House clears everything up – instead of blaming mistakes or rogue elements.
You can read more at the link, but the only thing that I would surprised by is if anyone in the Moon administration is held accountable for the domestic spying. As we have seen with other Moon administration scandals they will go to great lengths to defend their allies.
It looks like the gloves are finally beginning to come off in regards to dealing with China’s espionage:
Influential state media linked to China’s ruling Communist Party on Friday described Washington as a “despicable rogue” attempting to “stifle” China’s global rise by arranging for the arrest of a top executive at one of its major technology firms.Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies – China’s largest telecommunications equipment maker – was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 as she changed planes. Canada’s Justice Department said Meng, 46, who is the daughter of the company’s founder, was detained due to an extradition request by the United States.
It provided no reason for why Meng was taken into custody but Canadian media reported she was arrested on suspicion of evading U.S. sanctions by selling American-made components to Iran. Several U.S. senators also made that connection. “There is ample evidence to suggest that no major Chinese company is independent of the Chinese government and Communist Party – and Huawei, which China’s government and military tout as a ‘national champion,’ is no exception,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in a statement. Warner said Huawei “poses a threat to our national security.” [USA Today]
You can read more at the link, but the evading of sanctions may be the legal reason for her detainment, but I think the real reason so many countries in the west are mobilizing against China on this issue is because of the spy chips Huawei and other Chinese companies were allowing to be installed in their products. Considering how may electronics parts come out of China major corporations and national leaders around the world have to wonder how much has China spied on them because of these chips?
With all that is going on I would recommend that no one travel to China because you know they are going to retaliate in some way and the most obvious way would be to arrest some Americans, especially a notable business leader for made up charges.
Is South Korea's Intelligence Agency Spying on Its Own Citizens? http://t.co/zPOIX8zCCi pic.twitter.com/kBa9fyUOJY
— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) August 3, 2015
It will be interesting to see if this guy’s suicide note is ever released to public to see what the “national interest” information is:
An employee of South Korea’s spy agency has been found dead in his car with his will, which contains information about a hacking incident that has triggered a controversy in the country, police said Saturday.
Police said that the person identified only by his family name Lim worked for the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and was discovered around noon on a mountain road in Yongin, south of Seoul. Investigators present at the site said there was a burnt coal inside the car and no sign of forced entry, making it likely that the 45-year-old took his own life.
They also said he left a three-page, handwritten will on the front passenger seat that expressed his feelings about family and work, which included matters of “national interest.”
Police said they could not release more details about the will because relatives were opposed to the contents becoming public.
Family members reported his disappearance after Lim left home around 5 a.m. and could not be contacted, authorities said.
The apparent suicide and the will are expected to further stoke the controversy surrounding where and how the NIS used the hacking program.
The software program, which uses Remote Control System technology, allows hackers to manipulate and track smartphones and computers by installing spyware.
The NIS said it bought the program made by an Italian company in 2012 and confirmed it can be used to hack into up to 20 mobile phones simultaneously.
The NIS claimed it used the program for the purpose of strengthening cyber warfare capabilities against Pyongyang.
Such explanations, however, are met with skepticism by many in the country, and in particular, the main opposition party, which thinks the NIS used the program to spy on South Korean civilians. [Yonhap]
