Former spy chief banned from overseas travel: sources

SEOUL -- South Korea's former government intelligence chief Won Sei-hoon has been barred from leaving the country pending investigation into allegations that he had interfered in domestic politics while in office, government sources said Saturday.

Won, who served as the National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief under the previous government of President Lee Myung-bak, has been sued by several labor and civic groups for interfering in domestic politics by trying to manipulate public opinions ahead of last year's presidential race.
   
After his plan to leave Seoul Sunday for an extended trip to the United States was known, opposition parties denounced it as a deliberate attempt by the ex-intelligence chief to avoid the prosecution's probe.
   
According to multiple government sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which handles the case, has recently requested a government ban on Won's overseas travel, which the Justice Ministry has accepted.
   
The dispute arose after a low-level NIS agent was caught using various Internet identities to attack the then main opposition presidential hopeful Moon Jae-in in the lead up to the Dec. 19 poll.  
   
Conservative ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye eventually won the race and took office late last month as the country's female first head of state.
   
"If he leaves the country for an overseas travel, it can only be to avoid being asked about questions raised in relation to several charges that have been leveled against him," the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) said in a statement.
   
DUP spokeswoman Kim Hyun said that Won's plan to leave the country less than three days after he left office can only be construed as an attempt to run away. 
   
"It's unprecedented that a top government official who had access to the highest national intelligence leaves the country and stays overseas for an extended period of time," she said.
   
The opposition lawmaker said the ex-spy chief should be barred from leaving the country, so he can answer questions raised against him. 
   
Won and the NIS have said there was nothing illegal about the agency's operations.
   
The minor opposition Progressive Justice Party also said that Won's plan to stay outside of the country can be construed as trying to help the incumbent Park administration. (Yonhap News)

'Looking down on creation' Figure skater Kim Yu-na performs during the closing gala at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, Canada, Sunday.                                                                                                                                   / Yonhap Yu-na talks about her 'natual gifts,' her plans for Winter Olympics By Kim Tong-hyung Kim Yu-na has talent. And just in case anyone isn’t opened-jawed in wonderment at just how good she is, the figure-skating megastar will say it herself. "I think it’s true that I am naturally gifted in what I do. I admit have seen athletes who work harder than me. So yes, I think I am a natural,’’ said a grinning Kim, meeting Korean reporters the day after her emphatic showing at the World Championships in London, Ontario, Canada. "On the other hand, there are athletes who are immensely talented, but never realize this and don’t work hard to polish it. Natural talent doesn’t mean much when you don’t learn how to embrace it.’’ Coming off a two-year hiatus, the reigning Olympic champion made a deafening statement that she is still the one to beat at next year’s Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Her overall 218.31-point total in London was a whopping 20 points higher than second-place finisher Carolina Kostner, representing the largest margin of victory since the current scoring system took effect in 2005. Kim, who says she will retire after competing in Sochi, is vowing to become the first women’s two-time champion since German legend Katrina Witt, who won consecutive gold medals in the 1984 Games in Sarajevo and 1988 Games in Calgary. While Kim represents a rare blend of artistic expression, skills and athleticism on ice, it often seems that confidence is her biggest asset. The 22-year-old has always displayed a flair for the moment. It was at the Vancouver Olympics that she snatched the gold with a mind-boggling 228.56 points, which shattered the old world record by a margin of 18 points. Kim had never faced more doubts about her abilities than during the buildup to the recent World Championships. When everything was said and done, Kim’s final score was surpassed only by the mark she set in Vancouver. "Everyone talks as if I have a heart of steel and am confident about everything. But the truth is my level of confidence depends on the level of practice I was able to put in. When I am not prepared as I wanted to be, or not in good physical form, I am worried like everybody else,’’ Kim said, reminding listeners that she finished ''only’’ third at the World Championships in 2007 and 2008. She said she had sustained injuries in preparation for both events. Kim talked as if she will lay back and relax for a while, now that the figure-skating season is over. She was reluctant to talk too much about her Olympic aspirations, but according to the unprecedented bar she set for herself, anything less than a gold medal would be considered a letdown. When pressed to talk about her goal for Sochi ― as if it wasn’t obvious ― Kim said she thinks of the Olympics no differently than any other competition. "Obviously, I’d like to do well in every competition I participate in,’’ she said. "The Olympics is just like any other competition. It’s not like I put in more work for the Olympics than a Grand Prix event. I will do my best to give myself the best chance to win.’’ Kim, who worked with Canadian Brian Orser at the Vancouver Olympics, hinted she will retain her current coaches, Shin Hye-sook and Ryu Jong-hyun, through the Sochi Olympics. Their contracts expire at the end of this month. Since Kim reunited with her two childhood coaches last year, she won the NRW Trophy in Germany in December, the Korean national title in January and the world championship last weekend. Choreographer David Wilson has been working with Kim since her preparation for the Vancouver Games. thkim@ktimes.co.kr,

Cyber attack traced to domestic computer By Kang Seung-woo The cyber attack against network systems at TV broadcasters and banks originated from a local computer not from an IP address in China, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said, Friday. The broadcasting watchdog had earlier announced the malicious codes came from a Chinese IP address, hinting of North Korea's involvement in the attack. The attack damaged computer networks at KBS, MBC and YTN along with Shinhan, NongHyup and Jeju banks, Wednesday. “We had mistaken a private IP address used by NongHyup as an official IP address allocated to China,” the KCC said in a statement, without elaborating on the possible attacker. Cheong Wa Dae ordered Friday all related government agencies to make preparations for possible hacking attacks, calling for the expansion of the nation’s cyber warfare forces. “A joint reaction team is striving to find out who the hackers are by analyzing malicious computer codes and restoring damaged computer systems,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Yoon Chang-jung said. Despite tracing the malware to a domestic computer, North Korea still remains as a key suspect masterminding the massive hacking. “We are concentrating our investigation on pinpointing the perpetrator of the attack and tracing the source of the malware with all possibilities open. It’s certain that one organization orchestrated the attack, but we haven’t figured out who did it,” said an official from the joint reaction team comprised of government and private experts. Korea has about 400 personnel under the Cyber Command, a special unit launched in early 2010, but the military will increase the number of personnel to more than 1,000 in the wake of the growing cyber threat, a senior military official said. “Threats of cyber warfare have become as serious as those of missile and nuclear weapons,” the official told Yonhap News. “Our military plans to expand its cyber warfare forces in the future.” The official added that expansion has been carried out by advanced countries in efforts to enhance their cyber warfare capacity to deter missile and nuclear threats with no loss of life. "We will continue to secure cyber security forces like advanced countries that put no ceiling on the number of cyber warriors," he said. Meanwhile, the KCC said Shinhan and Jeju Banks have completely recovered their networks, while NongHyup is still in the process of normalizing its system. TV broadcasters KBS, MBC and YTN have recovered roughly 10 percent of their attacked systems, and no further damage has been detected, it added. ksw@koreatimes.co.kr,

Police checking illegal drug use in sex bribery scandal

Police investigating the possible sex bribery scandal invloving high ranking officials now suspect illegal substances may have been used by those who frequented the villa where the events took place, sources said Saturday.

   The scandal has forced Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui to step down Thursday, with speculations abounding that other public figures may be implicated, including high ranking police officers. Kim, who claimed his innocence, may have visited the villa located in Wonju 132 kilometers east of Seoul. 

The villa is owned by a 52-year-old construction contractor identified only by his surname Yoon.

  There have been numerous media reports that sex parties took place at the villa, and that the events were filmed in secret by Yoon and kept on CD so he could exert influence later on or use them as a blackmail tool.

   Investigators assigned to the case said they started looking into the use of drugs because the businesswoman who originally blew the whistle on the illegal events claimed in November that she was drugged and raped.

   The woman told officers that Yoon, after the initial rape, forced her to offer sexual favors to guests.

   Police so far said they have no hard proof to back up her story, yet they acknowledged there seems to be a steady stream of testimonies and clues that point in that direction.

   They confirmed that they found Lorazepam, a controlled substance, in Yoon's car and had directed both the woman and Yoon to receive toxicology tests by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. 

The woman tested positive for drugs, but the police have not yet charged anyone with rape.

   Reflecting the possibility that drugs may have been used, police said they have ordered that all people implicated in the case -- including Yoon, his nephew and an unidentified person who may have provided the controlled substances to the contractors -- are not to leave the country. 

The suspects are being checked for violating the country's Narcotics Control Act and could be charged with illegal gambling, as people may have bet up to one hundred million won at informal card games that took place at the villa.

   Meanwhile, insiders said that police may start questioning all people who were on Yoon's guest list. A total of 10 people may be summoned for questioning.

   However, they said that the video images they have confiscated were of bad quality, which makes it difficult to identify the people shown.

   "It may take some time to look at all the evidence as well as collect the data out of a notebook computer owned by Yoon's nephew, which may contain relevant information," an official said.

(Yonhap News)

Police consider widening probe of sex scandal By Kang Hyun-kyung   Kim Hak-eui Police were considering widening their investigation into a sex-for-influence scandal Friday as new names are making the list of influential figures allegedly involved. “We can question other figures if they are suspected of having some connection with the scandal. We’ve secured testimonies from some women who claim they were made to provide sexual services,” a police officer said. A senior level official at the National Intelligence Service was newly added to the list of “guests” having allegedly been invited to a luxury villa in Wonju, Gangon Province where sex was provided. Yun Jung-cheon, the villa owner who videoed the activities in 2010, reportedly has known the NIS official for years. The spy agency declined to comment on the allegations. Police sent the recording to the National Forensic Service to identify the man captured on it. The three minute clip was of a man having sex with a woman. Witnesses said Kim Hak-eui, the vice justice minister who offered to resign from his post on Thursday as a result of the scandal, was the man on the video. Kim denied all allegations. Investigators are focusing on finding out whether the sexual services were provided in return for favors. The list of people allegedly invited to the villa is getting longer, including high-ranking government officials, prosecutors, judges, general hospital heads, journalists and celebrities. Starting from 2008, Yun’s invited people to the villa for the weekend and some of them reportedly had sex with women procured by Yun, according to the police. Police believed that Yun made sex tapes of five to six people among some 30 visitors to blackmail them. hkang@koreatimes.co.kr,

Director of NIS Caught Interfering in S. Korean Election

This March 18th' article from the Hankyoreh, the major liberal newspapers from South Korea, discloses the direct involvement of the director of the National Intelligence Services (NIS) in the organization's interference in South Korean political affairs. The article says that some documents acquired on March 17, 2013 by Jin Sun-Mee, a congress-woman of the Democratic United Party, showed Won Sei-Hoon, director of the NIS, ordering his staff to interfere directly in domestic politics. 

The documents titled ‘Orders and Highlights from the Director” contain numerous orders and requests made by the director between May 2009 and November 2012. According to some former and current employees of the NIS these orders are taken directly from Won’s statements during the NIS’ monthly meetings of division directors and sent to all staff members ordering them to follow. Included in the orders are manipulating public opinion before elections, making efforts by the psychological warfare team to win over younger voters, and efforts to combat criticisms of the government by religious group, to name just a few. 

The documents reportedly have similar wording to posts written by the NIS agent, identified by the surname Kim, who has been investigated by police for online manipulations of public opinion during last December’s presidential election. The similarities shown in these documents could be viewed as evidence of the connection between the NIS and the ruling party of South Korea and, furthermore, as proof of the NIS’ interference in the presidential election on December 19, 2012. 

This is against the law and indeed a serious crime committed by government officials. The victory of the ruling party in the presidential election that was aided by this crime should be seriously questioned and nullified. 

Please visit the link to the actual article of the Hankyoreh. ( http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/578510.html )

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-944052

Hyoo-geun Chung fasts for an indefinite period to urge the investigation of the Korea election fraud.

Hyoo-geun Chung fasts for an indefinite period to urge an investigation of the Korean election fraud.

The recent Korean President election is a fraud. Hyoo-geun Chung fasts even without drinking water. Hyoo-geun Chung is a man in his forties. He is having this fasting for an indefinite period in order to awaken the press, the statesmen, and his fellow countrymen that are silent on the election fraud. He started the fasting on the fourth of March this year. He has been fasting fourteen days in order to disclose the election fraud; he is engaging in a life-or-death struggle on a cold concrete floor before the main office of the Saenury party. He wants hand-vote counting and the government to investigate the election fraud. Because he has been fasting fourteen days, his life is in danger. The government is preventing the people from knowing Mr. Chung's fasting. The media don't report about him. No congressman of Saenury has visited him. President Geun-hae Park hasn't visited him, either.

*A picture of Mr. Chung in the thirteenth day of his fasting.

http://bbs1.agora.media.daum.net/gaia/do/debate/read?bbsId=D115&articleId=2321934&pageIndex=1

*A Youtube video of Mr. Chung in the tenth day of his fasting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5gurD HwluA

*A Youtube video of Mr. Chung in the eleventh day of his fasting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaBREqO9BS4

During the five years of Myung-park Lees' government, the people were distressed very much. The people had only one reason for their endurng those distressful years. The reason was that they hoped that they could judge Myung-park Lee and elect a president who could lead a government for the people. That president of the hope was Jae-in Moon, ex-human rights lawyer. Korea chose Jae-in Moon President. But the election fraud committed by Myung-park Lee and Ms. Park robbed the people of President Jae-in Moon.

Is Hyoo-geun Chung reckless who has been fasting even without drinking water? No way. The reason is that in his view the situation is urgent enough for him to choose death. Many Koreans too feel like having fasting as Mr.Chung did. Under the government having rigged the election, the Korean law cannot expose the election rigging. So a petition to UN for investigating the election fraud has been being filed.

*A Petition to the United Nations to Investigate the Election Fraud in the S. Korean Presidential Election  http://f4vr.com/join-us.html