By Kim Da-ye
A National Intelligence Agency (NIS) covert operations officer, known as "Mr. Kim," was arrested Wednesday by prosecutors on suspicion of being involved in fabricating a document used as evidence during an espionage trial.
Mr. Kim is the first NIS officer to be arrested as part of a prosecution task force's investigation into fabrication of evidence used against Yu Woo-sung, a former Seoul city government official accused of spying for North Korea.
Following the arrest of the covert officer, prosecutors planned to summon and question the chief of the anti-communism investigation team.
Mr. Kim reports to this team leader, so the task force is expected to inquire if the boss was aware of the forgery and if he ordered it to be done.
This move indicates that the prosecutors' investigation will be moving closer to the upper level of the hierarchy at the NIS to decide if the spy agency was involved in the fabrication of evidence.
The arrest warrant for Mr. Kim was issued around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Kim Seung-joo, a judge at Seoul Central District Court, said in a statement, "The charges are serious, and the court accepts the reason for an arrest and the necessity for it."
During the interrogation by prosecutors and at the court hearing for issuing an arrest warrant, Mr. Kim reportedly denied charges that he knew the document given by his long-time civilian collaborator was fabricated.
The 61-year-old civilian informer, identified as Kim, was arrested on Saturday and told the prosecution that the document was forged and that the NIS was aware of it.
In the meantime, the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice dispatched a team to China on Wednesday to seek cooperation on the investigation from the country's Ministry of Public Security.
The team is also considering visiting the Korean consulate in Shenyang, northeastern China, and the Sanhe checkpoint or border authority. Both Yu's attorneys and the prosecution claim that they obtained statements on Yu's travel records from the Sanhe checkpoint. The statement, which the NIS provided to prosecutors, was declared to be fabricated by the Chinese embassy in Korea.
A National Intelligence Agency (NIS) covert operations officer, known as "Mr. Kim," was arrested Wednesday by prosecutors on suspicion of being involved in fabricating a document used as evidence during an espionage trial.
Mr. Kim is the first NIS officer to be arrested as part of a prosecution task force's investigation into fabrication of evidence used against Yu Woo-sung, a former Seoul city government official accused of spying for North Korea.
Following the arrest of the covert officer, prosecutors planned to summon and question the chief of the anti-communism investigation team.
Mr. Kim reports to this team leader, so the task force is expected to inquire if the boss was aware of the forgery and if he ordered it to be done.
This move indicates that the prosecutors' investigation will be moving closer to the upper level of the hierarchy at the NIS to decide if the spy agency was involved in the fabrication of evidence.
The arrest warrant for Mr. Kim was issued around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Kim Seung-joo, a judge at Seoul Central District Court, said in a statement, "The charges are serious, and the court accepts the reason for an arrest and the necessity for it."
During the interrogation by prosecutors and at the court hearing for issuing an arrest warrant, Mr. Kim reportedly denied charges that he knew the document given by his long-time civilian collaborator was fabricated.
The 61-year-old civilian informer, identified as Kim, was arrested on Saturday and told the prosecution that the document was forged and that the NIS was aware of it.
In the meantime, the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice dispatched a team to China on Wednesday to seek cooperation on the investigation from the country's Ministry of Public Security.
The team is also considering visiting the Korean consulate in Shenyang, northeastern China, and the Sanhe checkpoint or border authority. Both Yu's attorneys and the prosecution claim that they obtained statements on Yu's travel records from the Sanhe checkpoint. The statement, which the NIS provided to prosecutors, was declared to be fabricated by the Chinese embassy in Korea.
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