Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
KBS reporters house raided
By Lee Hyo-sik
The police raided the home of a KBS reporter Friday on allegations that he might have wiretapped a closed-door meeting of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) held at the National Assembly last month.
The Yeongdeungpo Police Station said police officers searched the house of the reporter, surnamed Jang, and confiscated his computer hard discs, cellular phone and other materials that might be related to the alleged bugging.
The search and seizure came two weeks after the opposition party filed a complaint with the police, claiming its private meeting on TV subscription charges was bugged by outsiders.
The party had initially insisted that the governing Grand National Party (GNP) bugged the meeting where Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu and other members of the parliamentary committee discussed party strategies on the GNP’s move to raise the subscription fee.
But later, it pointed a finger at the state-funded broadcaster KBS as the culprit.
The scandal erupted on June 24 when Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the GNP criticized DP’s opposition to raising the TV subscription charge during a subcommittee meeting. Han cited comments made by some DP members at their secret party meeting.
“Officers looked into all 19 DP officials who participated in the closed-door meeting to check whether any of them leaked what was discussed. But we could not find any evidence suggesting anyone did so,” a police officer said.
He then said it was almost impossible for anyone to eavesdrop on the meeting outside the door, adding police are putting greater weight on the possibility that someone planted a bug in the meeting room.
“We are currently examining surveillance tapes taken by cameras installed in the hallway leading to and from the room in order to see if anyone entered the room unauthorized,” the official said.
The DP has been demanding that KBS should reveal the truth about the wiretapping and take proper measures to hold the people involved accountable. But no hard evidence has yet been found regarding the alleged involvement of KBS.