Suspicions of 'Defection Accusations' by Cheongwadae and Government Officials Confirmed
National Intelligence Service Confirms Deletion of 'Mims Classified Information'... Former Director Park Reported
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] The prosecution investigating the case of the public official killed in the West Sea conducted a search and seizure at the residences of former Minister of National Defense Seo Wook and former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Ji-won on the 16th. This comes about a month after the NIS was searched on the 13th of last month.
According to the legal community, the Public Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Hee-dong) sent prosecutors and investigators to the homes of former Director Park and former Minister Seo this morning to secure related evidence.
Former Director Park is suspected of unauthorized deletion of intelligence-related reports concerning the circumstances when Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, was killed by North Korean soldiers on September 22, 2000.
An internal report was prepared by NIS staff based on intelligence suggesting that Lee did not voluntarily defect to the North but was more likely adrift; however, the NIS's own investigation found that former Director Park ordered the deletion of this report.
The prosecution is also verifying allegations that Blue House and government officials attempted to cover up the incident by fabricating a narrative of voluntary defection ("Wolbuk moli").
Former Minister Seo has been accused by the bereaved family of ordering the deletion of military secrets containing intercepted information (charges include abuse of authority and damage to official electronic records).
The NIS and others are believed to have deleted classified information within the Military Integrated Information Processing System (MIMS) of the NIS and Ministry of National Defense around the times of two ministerial meetings held at 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. on September 23, 2020, the day after Lee’s death.
Attendees at the meetings included former Minister Seo, former Chief Secretary Noh Young-min, then National Security Office Director Seo Hoon, former Director Park, and former Minister of Unification Lee In-young.
On the 14th of last month, the prosecution summoned employees of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters responsible for managing MIMS as witnesses for investigation.
The prosecution is investigating whether former Minister Seo ordered the deletion of intelligence and whether such orders were given through subordinates. They are examining if Seo and others abused their positions to arbitrarily reverse the judgment of Lee’s death as a "Wolbuk" (defection to the North). Whether improper instructions were given to subordinates is a key point of this investigation.
Lee’s bereaved family has filed complaints against more than ten individuals with the prosecution regarding the West Sea public official killing case. Key suspects include former National Security Office Director Seo Hoon, former Minister Seo, former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Kim Jong-ho, former Secretary for Civil Affairs Lee Kwang-cheol, former Secretary General of the National Security Council Seo Joo-seok, and former Director Park, who was also accused by the NIS.
The bereaved family also claimed in their complaint against former Minister Seo and others that "it is necessary to investigate whether the intercepted information related to Lee Dae-jun’s death uploaded to MIMS was deleted immediately after the NSC meeting and the circumstances of such deletion."
The prosecution is expected to review the establishment of criminal charges based on the operation methods of MIMS, including witness investigations of those managing MIMS.
After analyzing the materials secured through the search and seizure, the prosecution plans to summon and investigate former Minister Seo, former Director Park, and others in sequence.
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