Direct Rebuttal to Park Ji-won's National Intelligence Service Accusation
"Information That Cannot Be Deleted by the National Intelligence Service"
Kim Byung-joo, head of the West Sea Civil Servant Death Incident Task Force of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the 4th meeting of the West Sea Civil Servant Death Incident Task Force held at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] On the 6th, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) filed a complaint against former NIS Director Park Ji-won for unauthorized deletion of information related to the 'West Sea Civilian Killing Incident,' but the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) refuted this by stating "no information was deleted." Instead, they accused the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's National Security Office of interfering to reverse the investigation results.
Kim Byung-joo, head of the DPK's West Sea Civilian Killing Incident Task Force (TF), held a press conference after visiting the Ministry of National Defense building on the 7th, stating, "After confirming that classified information in MIMS (Military Integrated Information Processing System) was allegedly deleted without authorization, we found that none of the original information was deleted," and added, "The MIMS system is distributed across several hundred locations."
He continued, "Therefore, for unrelated departments, the distribution routes of reports were later adjusted to share information only with relevant units," and analyzed, "So, in unrelated units, the MIMS information might appear and then disappear, which could be misunderstood as deletion."
He also said, "The NIS is currently filing complaints alleging deletion of MIMS-related information, but the NIS cannot delete such information," explaining, "Technically, only locations where MIMS information is uploaded or the Joint Chiefs of Staff can delete it, and the NIS cannot technically delete intelligence and information."
He raised the possibility of intervention by the National Security Office, claiming, "Upon investigation related to the West Sea Civilian Killing Incident, we reconfirmed that communication was conducted in a top-down manner involving the current Yoon Seok-yeol administration's National Security Office, the Minister of National Defense, and the Deputy Minister of National Defense."
He added, "During this process, there were multiple reports and instructions exchanged between the Deputy Minister and the Minister, and signs of mutual communication were detected," and said, "Also, during the drafting process, the Ministry of National Defense and the Coast Guard frequently communicated. It is presumed that the Ministry of National Defense's Policy Planning Director and the Coast Guard's Criminal Management Deputy Director often communicated, sharing investigation results and Ministry of National Defense PG (Planning Group) information."
Furthermore, he stated, "Between June 3 and 16, during the PG drafting process, it was confirmed that officials from the National Security Office and the Ministry of National Defense had multiple phone calls or communications."
Regarding the continuous issues raised by the People Power Party, he criticized, "All are false," and said, "We judge that these are political disputes aimed at tarnishing the previous government." When asked about the party's response plan, he replied, "We plan to consult with the party leadership."
On the same day, the TF visited the Ministry of National Defense and conducted a Q&A session with Deputy Minister Shin Beom-cheol and officials present. In his opening remarks at the TF meeting, Representative Kim said, "Through our activities so far, we have confirmed that the National Security Office of the Presidential Office was involved in the Yoon Seok-yeol government's Coast Guard and military changing their statements without any evidence," emphasizing, "Today, we will also investigate whether the Presidential Office intervened."
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