University Students Condemn the NIS for Interfering with Elections

University Students Condemn the NIS for Interfering with Elections

By Lee Seo-hwa, Nam Ji-won, Kim Han-sol

Posted on : 2013-06-21 17:05

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Universities and the civil society is taking action denouncing the National Intelligence Service's illegal interference with elections as a threat to democracy. The university student councils have released statements condemning the incident and are planning a candlelight vigil at the heart of Seoul. This may even spread to a massive public movement like the 2008 candlelight vigil against U.S. beef.

On the morning of June 20, the Seoul National University (SNU) student council held a press conference outside the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul and said, "At the center of this incident lies the fact that government authorities interfered with an election, through which the people exercise their sovereignty, and undermined the democratic process. 

NIS officials who abused their authority and intervened in the presidential election and the police who deceived the public through a limited investigation and false reports must be punished." More than 70 students from Seoul National University were present at the press conference. 

Student president Kim Hyeong-rae (third from left) and students of Seoul National University denounce the National Intelligence Service for interfering with elections and urge the government to uncover the truth outside the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul on June 20. Yonhap News

Kim Hyeong-rae (24), president of the SNU student council said, "The actions of the intelligence agency broke a social consensus on democracy and shattered the belief people held that an election is a fair process. Former director Won Sei-hoon actually injured the authority of the president." The SNU student council decided to announce a statement denouncing the NIS incident sometime next month.

The student council of Ewha Womans University also claimed that, "Democracy, which blossomed with the June demonstrations in 1987, is facing a great crisis with the intervention in elections by government authorities. Those responsible for interfering with the elections and blocking the investigation should be punished and the National Assembly should immediately accept the request for a parliamentary investigation," in front of the main entrance to Ewha Womans University in Daehyeon-dong, Seoul. 

Bong U-ri (21), the student president of Ewha Womans University said, "We decided to raise this issue because we thought social change would not be possible without actions from college students." Student councils at Kyunghee University, Sungkonghoe University, Sookmyung Women's University, and Dongduk Women's University also released a statement this day. 

In addition to these universities, students at Yonsei University and Korea University are also preparing to release a statement on the NIS scandal. The Korea University student council said, "We met with the Yonsei University student council on June 19 and confirmed that the NIS case was a serious and grave matter. We will collect opinions from our students and decide how to express our position sometime next week."

The Hankuk University Students Association plans to hold a candlelight cultural festival for college students and denounce the NIS in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun, Seoul at 7 p.m. on June 21.

Nine figures including Democratic lawmaker Do Jong-hwan, the poet Ahn Do-hyun, Seoul National University professor Cho Kuk, Dongyang University professor Chin Jung-kwon, film director Chung Ji-young, Sisa IN reporter Joo Jin-woo, Sungkonghoe University professor Tak Hyun-min, and former Korea National Police University professor Pyo Chang-won also released a joint statement on the NIS incident.

They said, "The NIS's involvement in elections is a threat to the foundation of our nation with no room for excuses. Yet what's more serious is the arrogant and irresponsible attitude of the president, Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party. They should keep in mind that if they disregard the rage of the people and the public sentiment, it can lead to unfortunate events--the people may refuse to accept the election results or deny the incumbent government's legitimacy."

Meanwhile the conservative Korea Freedom Foundation released a statement claiming, "Some people are trying to take advantage of the NIS case to start a second 'mad cow disease candlelight vigil.' Those who triggered a massive candlelight demonstration under the past Lee Myung-bak government are seeking ways to shake the current government."

Phone calls threatening the recent initiative by the college students once flooded the Ewha Womans University student council. A member of the Ewha student council said, "Men who sounded to be in their 40s and 50s kept calling asking us whether we had asked the students before deciding to release the statement, and complaining that we were being too biased when more bad things had happened under Roh Moo-hyun. Just before the press conference, someone through a hard object at our office and completely shattered the window."

Main opposition party links spy agency scandal to NLL controversy

The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday proposed disclosing the minutes of a controversial 2007 inter-Korean summit in exchange for conducting a parliamentary probe into a scandal surrounding the national spy agency.

The proposal comes one day after the ruling Saenuri Party claimed that it has seen official government records backing up allegations that late President Roh Moo-hyun tried to nullify the de facto maritime border separating the two Koreas during his meeting with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The allegations stirred up controversy ahead of last December's presidential election because the then DP candidate, Moon Jae-in, had served as Roh's chief of staff when Roh allegedly made the remarks.

The ruling party has argued that Roh's remarks amounted to a denial of South Korea's sovereignty, as North Korea does not recognize the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL) and demands the line be redrawn farther south.

By law, the summit's minutes can be made public only in special cases, such as with two-thirds approval from the National Assembly.

"The DP is willing to disclose the summit's minutes ... under (relevant) parliamentary laws," Rep. Kim Han-gil, the DP chairman, said at a Supreme Council meeting. "However, I stress that a parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s interference in last year's presidential election must come first."

The scandal surrounding the NIS centers on allegations that the spy agency's then chief, Won Sei-hoon, instructed agents ahead of last year's election to post comments online in favor of then ruling party contender and now President Park Geun-hye.

Last Friday, prosecutors indicted Won and then Seoul metropolitan police chief, Kim Yong-pan, on charges of interfering in the election in violation of the country's election law.

The DP has since stepped up calls for a parliamentary probe, citing an agreement in March between the parties' then floor leaders to conduct the probe as soon as the prosecution completed its investigation.

On Thursday, the two parties agreed to go ahead with the parliamentary probe, saying they will try to pass a proposal for the investigation during this month's extra parliamentary session that ends on July 2.

If proven, the scandal could hurt the legitimacy of the Park administration, although the DP has said it is not challenging the election results.

The ruling party has been reluctant to begin the parliamentary probe, arguing that prosecutors have yet to look into allegations that the DP mistreated an NIS employee accused of posting the online comments, violating her human rights.

The ruling party has moreover called on the prosecution to investigate allegations that the DP promised to give a then NIS official a promotion in return for leaking confidential information from the spy agency, if it won the presidential election. (Yonhap News)

Korean financial markets tumble on planned QE exit

Traders at the headquarters of Korea Exchange Bank in Seoul look at financial indices on computers on Thursday. (Yonhap News)

The Korean financial markets tumbled Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled plans to phase out its quantitative easing that led investors worldwide to unload their stocks.

The Korean benchmark KOSPI declined for the second straight day, finishing at 1,850.49 on Thursday. It fell 2 percent from Wednesday, following an overnight loss on Wall Street where the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 200 points.

The Korean won fell about 15 won to a year-to-date low of 1,145.7 won to the U.S. dollar as demand for the safe-haven greenback gained momentum on the back of the U.S. recovery expectations.

Korea, susceptible to external macroeconomic conditions given its high exports exposure, would need to be on alert to the possibility of increased capital flow and foreign exchange volatility stemming from the sequenced reversal process of the Fed’s unorthodox monetary policy.

Bank of Korea Gov. Kim Choong-soo recently foresaw this systemic risk, saying that the cost of advanced economies’ exit from quantitative easing would “not be low” for Korea, and that policymakers need to stand by to tame potential financial instability.

The Fed’s planned halt of asset purchasing next year is expected to accompany a rate hike as the world’s largest economy improves this and next year. U.S. growth is expected to reach 3 percent in 2014, and the U.S. central bank aims to keep inflation in check at 1 percent, analysts said.

The Fed said it would gradually conclude its quantitative easing as long as the unemployment rate falls below the 7 percent threshold. This range is the usual target as a high job rate could result in an unwanted outcome of higher consumer prices.

A rise in the U.S.’ key rate could trigger a “risk of global interest rate rises,” BOK Gov. Kim said during his speech to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the Korean central bank last week.

This would lead to a fall in bond values that could preemptively lead Korean financial institutions such as banks to boost their capital buffers.

The fall in Korean stocks and currency prompted financial regulatory authorities to calm investors by keeping close tabs on the markets and assuring them that there was nothing to fear, as the country’s financial system is prepared to counter any disruptions from the QE tapering.

“Global financial markets will soon stabilize as uncertainties wane following the announcement of the Fed’s timeline for a QE exit,” said Yoon Chang-yong, an analyst at Shinhan Investment. 

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)

Presidential office denies role in decision to disclose summit dialogue transcript

Cheong Wa Dae denied any role Friday in the National Intelligence Service's decision to show some lawmakers a 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript that reportedly confirms allegations that late former President Roh Moo-hyun made remarks seriously undermining the legitimacy of the sea border with North Korea.

On Thursday, the NIS showed the confidential document to members of the parliamentary intelligence committee. After seeing the records, ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers claimed that Roh did make the controversial remarks during the summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The main opposition Democratic Party strongly protested, claiming the disclosure is an attempt to overshadow allegations that the intelligence agency mobilized some of its agents to post political comments on the Internet in an attempt to influence December's presidential election.

Critics also raised suspicions that Cheong Wa Dae was involved in the transcript disclosure decision.

"Is this something that Cheong Wa Dae is supposed to give permission for?" a senior presidential official said. "NIS officials must have conducted a review before doing that. They must have determined there is no problem (with the disclosure) and the responsibility for that lies with the agency."

The allegations about what Roh said about the sea border were first raised by a ruling party lawmaker last year ahead of the presidential election. It was one of the election issues because the opposition's presidential candidate, Moon Jae-in, was Roh's chief of staff when Roh allegedly made the remarks.

The opposition party has strongly denied Roh made such remarks.

Roh, who was in office from 2003-2008, was a liberal leader and sought greater reconciliation with the communist neighbor. His alleged remarks are consistent with the claims that Pyongyang has long made about the sea border.

North Korea has never recognized the maritime boundary, known as the Northern Limit Line or NLL, which was drawn unilaterally by the U.S.-led United Nations Command when the 1950-53 Korean War ended. Pyongyang has long demanded that the line be drawn farther south.

Areas near the border have been the scene of a number of bloody inter-Korean clashes. The two sides fought naval gun-battles in the area in 1999, 2002 and 2009. In 2010, the North torpedoed a South Korean warship in the area and shelled a South Korean border island. (Yonhap News)

South Korean Ex‑Official Accused of Interfering in Election

By CHOE SANG-HUN

June 11, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — State prosecutors said on Tuesday that they would indict a former chief of the South Korean National Intelligence Service on charges of illegally trying to influence the election in December in favor of Park Geun-hye, who was elected president as the governing party candidate.
The former official, Won Sei-hoon, served as the top intelligence official under President Lee Myung-bak, Ms. Park’s predecessor, until February. He is accused of being involved in a secretive campaign in which intelligence agents and bloggers hired by the agency posted negative comments on the Internet about Ms. Park’s rivals.
No evidence has emerged that Ms. Park — who defeated her main opposition rival, Moon Jae-in, by one million votes — was involved in the operation. It also remained unclear whether or how much the online campaign, if it existed, influenced the result of the election. But the announcement added weight to a long-held suspicion among the political opposition that the intelligence agency engaged in illegal campaigning for Ms. Park.
Mr. Won will be charged with violating the national election law, which bans government officials from using their influence to affect an election, as well as a separate law that prohibits government intelligence officials from meddling in domestic politics, Lee Jin-han, a senior prosecutor, told the South Korean news media on Tuesday.
Mr. Won, who was not arrested, was not immediately available for comment. But he and the intelligence agency have denied interfering in the election on Dec. 19, saying the office’s online activities were part of normal psychological operations focused on North Korea.
Ms. Park’s office did not comment on the prosecutor’s announcement on Tuesday. During her campaign, Ms. Park and her party accused Mr. Moon and his opposition party of stirring up trouble when they first made accusations of illegal campaign activities by intelligence agents.
Mr. Moon’s opposition Democratic Party on Monday accused Ms. Park’s office and her justice minister of trying to intervene in the prosecutors’ investigation. Both the presidential office and prosecutors denied the claim.
Mr. Won is the latest in a series of former South Korean intelligence chiefs who have faced criminal indictments after leaving office. Several of them have been imprisoned.
The head of the National Intelligence Service, once used by the country’s military dictators as a main tool for silencing political dissent, remains one of the most powerful government jobs in South Korea. The intelligence agency has repeatedly vowed not to meddle in politics.
Police officials, who rejected the opposition’s accusation before the election, reversed their position in March, announcing that two low-ranking agents had illegally posted comments online criticizing the opposition candidates.
Prosecutors took over the investigation in April, as the opposition accused the police of whitewashing their inquiry so as not to offend Ms. Park.
Mr. Lee, the senior prosecutor, also said on Tuesday that the former head of the Seoul police, Kim Yong-pan, would be indicted on charges of illegally intervening in the police investigation.
The announcement of the charges came after prosecutors summoned Mr. Won and other senior intelligence officials for questioning and raided the spy agency’sheadquarters in a Seoul suburb in April.