'Security command spied on former President Roh'

By Kim Yoo-chul

The military’s intelligence unit, the Defense Security Command (DSC), wiretapped President Roh Moo-hyun and key government officials while he was in office, Military Human Rights Korea (MHRK) claimed Monday.

The DSC also spied on then senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Moon Jae-in, former Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-woong, as well as millions of civilians, according to the group.

The group said the DSC eavesdropped on unspecified but many key former Roh government phone numbers, listening in on conversations on the late President Roh’s office line, as well as on phones of the defense minister and civilians visiting military-owned hospitals and courts.

“Our reliable sources within the DSC said the unit listened to the phone conversations between the late President Roh and former Defense Minister Yoon on a military fixed line that was only authorized for use by Minister Yoon,” MHRK said in a press conference held in downtown Seoul.

“The organized surveillance by the DSC was even expanded to conversations between the late president and his top confidant Moon Jae-in, who is now the president. The DSC’s interception of phone conversations between then top government figures was beyond its intelligence activities,” the group said.

During the press conference, the MHRK said the military intelligence unit asked guards to collect personal data on civilians who visited military-owned facilities. Then the DSC used this to acquire sensitive personal information such as permanent addresses by using a designated police line without police authorization.

“Our findings show that what DSC collected data on targets sensitive personal lives. This was beyond its authorization and control,” the group said.

The MHKR recommended the government restructure the DSC and reduce the number of its personnel. President Moon earlier urged the defense ministry to submit its detailed plans to restructure the DSC after the disclosure of a document titled “Wartime Martial Law and Joint Action Plan,” revealing a detailed military contingency plan to crack down on protests in 2017 if the Constitutional Court ruled against Park Geun-hye’s impeachment.