By Jun Ji-hye
Nanatech, a small communications company that brokered the spy agency’s purchase of spyware from an Italian firm in 2012, has become embroiled in allegations that the agency conducted illegal surveillance on citizens.
Opposition lawmakers say many things about the company are shrouded in mystery, although it began business transactions with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) three years ago.
They claim that clearing connections between the firm and the spy agency is the key to unearthing the truth behind the spying scandal.
According to e-mail exchanges between Milan-based tech-firm Hacking Team (HT), Nanatech and the NIS continued business transactions from January 2012 until January 2015. The emails were leaked online on July 5 by unknown hackers.
The NIS purchased spyware called Remote Control System (RCS), which can spy on PCs and smartphones, through Nanatech in January and July of 2012.
Nanatech Co-CEO Heo Son-gu has been cited as a key figure involving suspicions that the NIS spied on members of the public ahead of the presidential election in December of that year.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) urged the government on July 14 to issue travel bans against the firm’s officials, which the latter disregarded. Heo left for Canada during the weekend amid escalating controversy.
During the media interview, Heo said he was not involved with the purchase from the beginning and took the mission over in the middle from another person.
An official surnamed Park initiated contact with HT. In his first email sent in August 2010 to HT, Park asked the Italian company about whether it has a program that can hack into Skype.
Since then, Park actively exchanged emails with the Italian firm to push for purchase of the spyware, but suddenly quit Nanatech in March 2011 when a business deal was almost put through. After that, there has been no trace of him.
Heo told reporters, “I was not involved with recruiting Park. I don’t know why he quit or where he is, either.”
But lawmakers say that Heo’s explanation is unreasonable, considering that his company only has five or six employees.
Further fueling the controversy is contradictory testimony between Heo and the other co-CEO, identified only by his surnamed Han.
Regarding how Nanatech began business transactions with the NIS, Heo told reporters, “Han attended an exhibition in Singapore and brought various brochures. I understand he delivered them to where necessary including the NIS.”
But Han said he learned about the hacking allegations only after the media reported them.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye