[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] On the afternoon of the 13th, the prosecution conducted a search and seizure of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in connection with the ‘West Sea government official killing incident’ and the ‘forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen incident’.
According to the prosecution and the NIS on that day, the Public Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Lee Hee-dong) and Public Investigation Division 3 (Chief Prosecutor Lee Joon-beom) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the NIS office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to carry out the search and seizure. The NIS explained that the search and seizure was conducted in a voluntary submission manner, where the NIS provided the necessary materials based on a warrant issued by the court. An official added, "It is the same method as the search and seizure conducted on other administrative agencies such as the National Tax Service."
The Public Investigation Division 1 is investigating the case of the late Lee Dae-jin, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean soldiers in the West Sea in 2020, while the Public Investigation Division 3 is handling the case of forcibly repatriating two fishermen who defected after expressing their intention to defect in 2019. It is reported that the two divisions carried out the search and seizure at the NIS on that day to secure materials related to the cases.
Information production and deletion records remaining on the NIS servers, as well as messenger conversations exchanged between employees, are expected to be the main targets of the seizure. Considering that the NIS conducted an unusual direct accusation against former directors Park Ji-won and Seo Hoon after its own investigation, it is anticipated that the prosecution’s search and seizure will proceed smoothly, unlike in the past.
After analyzing the related materials received from the NIS on that day, the prosecution is expected to continue full-scale summons investigations of current and former officials and executives involved in the cases. Former Director Park denies the charges, arguing that he did not order the deletion of reports related to the cases. Former Director Seo is currently staying in the United States.
Earlier, the NIS filed a complaint with the prosecution on the 6th against former NIS Directors Park Ji-won and Seo Hoon regarding the two incidents. The Public Investigation Division 1, which was assigned the cases, recently summoned Yoon Hyung-jin, Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of National Defense’s Defense Policy Office, as a witness for investigation. It is also known that NIS officials who filed the complaint against former Director Park Ji-won were summoned for investigation around the same time.
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