NIS, Defense ministry hit by hacking allegations

Lee Byung-ho, director of the National Intelligence Service, attends a meeting of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Lee Byung-ho acknowledged Tuesday that the agency purchased spying software from Hacking Team (HT), an Italian tech firm, in 2012.

However, he denied the allegations that the technology was used to spy on people ahead of the presidential election, saying the purpose was to analyze North Korea-related information.

While speaking to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, Lee said, “Spying on people can never occur. If the NIS ever did, I will accept any punishment.”

Lee said that the NIS bought spyware in January and July of 2012 to study the latest technology of global society and prepare for new types of threat to national security in cyber space.

The NIS has been suspected of buying software called the Remote Control System (RCS), which can spy on PCs, smartphones and mobile messengers from the Milan-based HT.

It was the first time that the spy agency officially acknowledged the purchase.

Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the ruling Saenuri Party and Rep. Shin Kyoung-min of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) told reporters that the committee members will visit the spy agency soon.

For its part, the Ministry of National Defense denied allegations that it bought the spyware from HT.

The allegation came as an Army lieutenant colonel, identified by only his surname Heo, met with an official of the Italian firm, and discussed the spyware when the former visited Singapore between March 2 and 5.

At the time, Heo worked at the ministry’s task force on cyber security. The reason for his visit to Singapore was to attend the 2015 Global Security Asia (GSA), a biennial seminar on cyber and security issues.

The ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok claimed that the company official was just among many of those the lieutenant colonel met during the GSA.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo also denied allegations that the Defense Security Command’s (DSC) purchase of the spyware was in line with the NIS’s buying.

During a meeting of the National Assembly Defense Committee, Han said, “DSC purchases have had nothing to do with the NIS or the Italian firm.”

In a separate statement, the ministry explained that the DSC purchased 21 eavesdropping tools in 2012 to replace old ones after securing approval from the President and a court.

“The purpose was to ensure national security and to conduct criminal investigations,” the ministry said. “The DSC conducts eavesdropping only to a limited extent.”

The explanation came after Rep. Song Ho-chang of the NPAD alleged earlier in the day that the counterintelligence agency purchased hacking tools in bulk from a domestic company in October 2012, just two months ahead of the presidential election.

Song cited material he secured from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, which shows that the ministry permitted the company to sell such tools to the “1363 Army Division.”

The name 1363 Army Division has reportedly been used by the DSC to disguise its activities.

Song argued, “Together with the NIS’s purchase of the spyware, all purchase show that a systematic cyber inspection by government agencies took place ahead of the presidential election.”