Gov't belatedly checks building security

Civil servants wait in a long line at the back entrance of the Government Complex in Seoul, Thursday, as security checks have been tightened after it was found that a jobseeker infiltrated the building five times earlier this year. / Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

The government said Thursday that it will change the security systems for government buildings, a belated measure following multiple infiltrations into the Government Complex in downtown Seoul by a 26-year-old who attempted to change the results of his civil service exam.

The Ministry of Interior held an emergency meeting with related organizations, presided over by Vice Minister Kim Sung-lyul, to discuss security measures, including technical upgrades and tightening security procedures.

“We’re considering many things we must do to strengthen security, such as fingerprint identification,” a ministry official said. “The goal is to make sure that those entering and leaving the building are registered in the security system. We’ll form a special task force for the overhaul.”

The team will finalize improvements by the end of next month.

However, many doubt whether such technical improvements will solve the problem, as the infiltration revealed a severe security lapse among public servants. The incident took place while the government was under a high security alert after threats from North Korea.

The intruder, surnamed Song, allegedly entered the government building and the Ministry of Personnel Management’s exam administration office five times without being stopped once.

According to police, Song first entered the building on Feb. 28, blending in with a group of young police officers on duty. Guards at the gate did not stop him, apparently assuming he was with the officers.

Song then headed toa gym inside the complex where he stole three security cards. But the three people whose cards he stole did not report the thefts to the authorities. If the cards had been reported as lost, Song would not have been able to use them for his later intrusions.

He attempted to steal the exam key on March 1, four days before the exam day, but failed.

On March 24 and 26, he snuck into the test administration office, protected by a passcode lock. Later when questioned by police, he revealed that the passcode for the office door was written on the side of the door lock. The team members later said they wrote it there so that the cleaning people could enter in the morning.

Song logged into the computers there to change his exam results on the second day, using a software program to compromise the computer passwords. But the computer users noticed the suspicious login records four days later.

A local court issued an arrest warrant for Song late Wednesday night. Police concluded that the man acted alone without inside help. They will soon refer the case to the prosecution.