ed Frivolous ex-spy chief

Kim should be held accountable for leaking secrets

It’s no secret that former intelligence agents should remain tightlipped about classified information they obtained while performing their duties. This obligation is all the greater for a retired spymaster.

It’s natural in this regard that the prosecution decided to investigate Kim Man-bok, who served as director of the National Intelligence Service under the late President Roh Moo-hyun, about his controversial revelations concerning an inter-Korean telephone hotline.

In an interview last week, the former spy chief created a stir by disclosing that there was a direct hotline between President Roh and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and that the two heads of state shared conversations about their Oct. 4, 2007 summit through the hotline. After his revelations of the secret phone line provoked controversy, Kim withdrew his statement and said the two leaders never spoke to each other directly.

It defies our understanding that a former NIS director, who had been overseeing state secrets, revealed untold stories about a former administration he had served. Even more incomprehensible is that he made arguments that were not true.

A relevant law stipulates that former and incumbent NIS officials should not disclose secret information they were privy to while in office. The law also bars an agent from publishing a book regarding his or her duties without the permission from the incumbent NIS head. So there could be plausible reasons for believing Kim is breaking the law over his hotline allegations and publication of a memoir. Kim recently published a book regarding the 2007 inter-Korean summit, allegedly without the permission from the incumbent NIS director.

This is not the first time that he has been criticized for his frivolous behavior and remarks.

On the eve of the presidential election in December 2007, Kim secretly visited North Korea. He met with Kim Yang-kon, director of the United Front Department of the North’s Workers’ Party, and told him that then opposition leader Lee Myung-bak was certain to win the election. He later leaked conversation records he had with the North Korean official to a Seoul newspaper. Kim quit after apologizing amid speculation that he tried to establish links with Lee, the president-elect.

In 2011, Kim was indicted for revealing state secrets in his contribution to a Japanese monthly. The indictment was suspended later.

His inappropriate acts have aroused controversy over whether he was fit to lead the top intelligence agency. Little wonder people feel embarrassed and shameful about him.

Sadly, Kim is also facing vehement criticism from the opposition camp. Rep. Jun Byung-hun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy called for him to be punished strictly, saying he betrayed the dignity and responsibility required of a former spy chief.

His string of secret leaks and misbehavior allegedly aims at drawing attention ahead of parliamentary elections slated for April because he is said to be preparing to run in Busan. However, it’s doubtful if Kim, who has humiliated the nation as well as the NIS, is qualified to represent people.

The intelligence agency rightly decided to file a complaint with law enforcement against its former boss. Prosecutors should hold him accountable for leaking state secrets through a thorough investigation.