Ex-intelligence director arrested for allegedly manipulating evidence
The National Intelligence Service building in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, is seen in this 2017 Korea Times file photo.
By Jung Da-min
A former National Intelligence Service (NIS) officer was arrested on suspicion of manipulating evidence in a case where a Seoul city official was charged with espionage.
Seoul Central District Court issued the arrest warrant for the former NIS investigation director surnamed Lee on Tuesday, saying the charges against Lee have been cleared and there are concerns for destruction of evidence.
According to the prosecutors' office, Lee allegedly filed a false statement against Yu Woo-sung's consular information on his entry and exit records for trips between China and North Korea at Yu's appeals trial, conducted from September to December 2013.
In March 2014, Lee allegedly interrupted the prosecution investigating allegations of NIS manipulation of evidence by concealing the evidence requested and altering documents.
The case began in January 2013 when Yu, who defected from North Korea in 2004, was indicted for collecting information on about 200 defectors and handing it to North Korea's State Security Department.
But it was later revealed that NIS officials had taken false confessions from Yu's sister and manipulated the evidence against Yu.
In October 2015, the Supreme Court found Yu innocent of violating the National Security Law.
When the prosecution investigated the NIS's manipulation of evidence in 2014, two former officials were fined 10 million won and sentenced to four years in prison, respectively.
Allegations against Lee emerged from the Moon Jae-in administration's re-investigation of 15 past cases in its efforts to "eradicate accumulated bad legacies."