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Sun, March 26, 2023 | 12:00
NIS accused of massive pre-poll tweeting
檢 "국정원, 봇프로그램 동원 트윗글 퍼날랐다"
Posted : 2013-11-21 17:17
Updated : 2013-11-21 17:17
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Rep. Kim Han-gil, fourth from left, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), together with other DP members, marches down the street from Seoul Plaza to Gwanghwamun Square, Thursday, to criticize the National Intelligence Service (NIS) accused of posting more than 1.2 million Twitter comments to exert influence in the 2012 presidential election. The party called for an immediate launch of a special probe into the NIS election meddling scandal. / Yonhap
Rep. Kim Han-gil, fourth from left, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), together with other DP members, marches down the street from Seoul Plaza to Gwanghwamun Square, Thursday, to criticize the National Intelligence Service (NIS) accused of posting more than 1.2 million Twitter comments to exert influence in the 2012 presidential election. The party called for an immediate launch of a special probe into the NIS election meddling scandal. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye


Prosecutors said Thursday that National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents posted more than 1.2 million Twitter comments during a smear campaign targeting opposition candidates in the run-up to last year's presidential election.

Among the comments, approximately 640,000 were directly related to the election, while 560,000 were about sensitive political issues.

Based on the findings, prosecutors requested the Seoul Central District Court to allow them to modify an indictment against former NIS director Won Sei-hoon.

Won is suspected of ordering NIS agents to post online comments critical of opposition candidates during the presidential poll.

"All these comments may be in violation of the Election Law and the NIS Law because propagation is a very significant part in elections," said senior prosecutor Lee Jin-han of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office at a press briefing.

Lee explained that the 1.2 million comments were a result of 26,000 original posts that were reposted or re-tweeted.

"We are investigating how many comments the NIS agents produced among the original tweets and how many IDs they used," said Lee.

The prosecution alleges that the NIS agents under former director Won used a "bot" program, (which can perform automated tasks) to spread the comments simultaneously in large quantities by creating dozens of IDs.

This is the second time that investigators have requested an indictment modification regarding the case.

On Oct. 18, senior prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol, former head of the prosecution's special team probing the scandal, requested the court to alter Won's indictment, claiming that his team found 50,000 tweets circulated by the NIS agents. At the time, Yoon added there could be many more than 50,000.

Soon after, Yoon was removed from the team. His superior officers argued that he did not follow legal procedures throughout his investigation.

At the first announcement in June when the prosecution indicted former NIS head Won, investigators said they discovered 73 online comments that were in possible violation of the Election Law.

The ruling Saenuri Party sided with the NIS, saying that there is a very small possibility that a mere 73 comments could affect the result of the election.

President Park Geun-hye also argued in a meeting with Rep. Kim Han-gil, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), that the activities of the NIS did not help her win the election.

Following the second modification of the indictment against Won, the DP, which has been referring to the prosecution's initial announcement as "the tip of an iceberg," took to the streets again, Thursday, 12 days after it folded away its makeshift tents at Seoul Plaza. The party had set up a temporary headquarters at the plaza as a means of protest against the Park government and the NIS.

"It is now clear that the government agencies including the NIS conducted unlawful, systematic intervention in the elections," said Chairman Kim.

Rep. Woo Won-shik, a member of DP's Supreme Council, argued that the prosecution also has to indict former President Lee Myung-bak because of the scale of the election meddling conducted under the Lee government.

"The governing party and Cheong Wa Dae should accept the DP's demand for a special probe into the NIS scandal," Woo said.


檢 "국정원, 봇프로그램 동원 트윗글 퍼날랐다"

검찰 '심리전단 조직적 작업…121만건은 실적에 치중한 결과' 지적
국정원 '직원 글 여부·계정수 확인 안돼…변론 범위만 늘려' 반박


    검찰은 21일 국가정보원 직원들이 직·간접적으로 게시한 것으로 추정되는 대선·정치 관련 트윗을 모두 121만228건 추려내 원세훈 전 국정원장의 범죄 혐의에 추가하기로 했다.

    검찰은 이 같은 내용을 담은 2차 공소장 변경 신청서를 전날 오후 8시가 넘어 법원에 제출했다.

    이는 지난달 1차 공소장 변경 당시 검찰이 밝혀낸 5만5천689건에 비교하면 무려 22배에 이르는 수치다.

    검찰은 인터넷 포털·커뮤니티 댓글도 추가로 찾아내 선거 관련 댓글은 기존 73건에서 114건으로, 정치관련 댓글은 1천977건에서 2천125건으로 늘어났다.

    ◇심리전단이 쓴 '봇' 프로그램 = 검찰 분석 결과 국정원 심리전단은 '봇(bot)' 프로그램을 통해 트위터 글을 손쉽게 복제해 퍼날랐다.

    봇 프로그램은 자동으로 수십개의 트위터 계정을 만들어 댓글을 한꺼번에 수십∼수백개씩 퍼나르기 해주는 프로그램이다.

    심리전단은 일간지 등 여러 언론매체의 대선·정치 관련 인터넷 기사나 보수논객의 블로그·트윗글은 주로 '트위터 피드(TwitterFeed)'라는 자동화 시스템을 통해 퍼 날랐다.

    트위터 피드를 국정원이 관리하는 봇 계정에 연결해 놓으면 프로그램이 스스로 30분∼1시간 단위로 일정한 시간에 맞춰 언론사 홈페이지나 블로그 등에 새로 올라온 글을 찾아 여러개의 트위터 계정으로 동시에 전송하는 식이다.

    국정원 직원이 직접 작성하거나 다른 네티즌이 쓴 트윗은 대개 '트윗덱(TweetDeck)'이라는 반자동 프로그램으로 전파됐다.

    트윗덱이란 주로 사용하는 트위터 계정에 글을 하나 띄우면 미리 연결해 둔 여러개의 '유령 계정'에 동시에 같은 글이 게시되도록 해주는 프로그램이다. 주로 SNS 마케팅에 사용되는 방법이다.

    검찰은 '국정원 심리전단이 실적 위주로, 건수로 상부에 보고하다 보니 이런 식의 방법까지 동원된 것'이라고 설명했다.

    ◇원글 2만6천여건 → 121만여건으로 '무한 복제' = 심리전단은 IT 기법을 동원해 손쉽게 트윗 글을 전송하고 퍼날랐다.

    트윗 121만228건 중 중복된 글을 제외한 '실(實) 텍스트'는 2만6천550건으로 분석됐다. 글 한개당 평균 약 46차례씩 전송됐다는 계산이다.

    실제로 한번에 2개 이상 동시에 트윗되거나 리트윗(RT)된 건수는 104만2천116건으로 전체의 86.1%에 달했다.

    이 가운데 선거와 관련한 트윗 전체 64만7천443건 중 동시트윗·동시리트윗이 55만6천377건(85.9%)이었으며 정치 관련한 글은 56만2천785건 중 48만5천739건(86.3%)이었다.

    심리전단의 트위터 작업이 대부분 수작업이 아니라 봇 프로그램을 통해 체계적으로 이뤄졌다는 뜻이다.

    '실 텍스트'는 전체의 0.02%에 불과한 2만6천여건이지만, 검찰은 121만건 모두 불법성이 있다고 봤다.

    선거법 위반 유인물을 2만6천 종류를 만들어 복사해 121만부를 배포했다면 몇명이나 이를 받아봤는지와 상관없이 배포한것 모두 위법하다는 것이다.

    ◇국정원 '작성자·문제글 개수·계정 확인 안돼' = 국정원은 검찰 발표 이후 반박자료를 내고 '검찰이 2차 공소장 변경을 신청한 121만건의 트위터 글은 국정원 직원이 쓴 것인지 확인되지 않은 것'이라고 주장했다.

    국정원은 '선거·정치 관련 트위터 글 2만6천여건(중복제외)이 제시됐지만 검찰은 이중 국정원 직원이 작성한 글이 몇건인지, 국정원 직원 몇명이 계정 몇개를 동원했는지' 등 구체적 내용은 밝히지 않았다'고 지적했다.

    글을 올린 트위터 계정(ID) 사용자가 누구인지 특정되지 않아 실제 국정원 직원과 관계없는 글이 상당수에 달할 것이라는 입장이다.

    형사 재판에서는 공소사실이 특정돼야 하고 구체적으로 입증돼야 하는데 검찰이 추가하겠다는 공소사실은 그렇지 못하다는 것이다.

    원 전 원장측 변호인은 '검찰이 공소장을 수시로 변경하면서 변론 범위만 계속 늘려가고 있다'며 '피고인 입장에서는 방어권 보장에 문제가 생긴다'고 말했다.

    그는 '국정원 조직 차원에서 체계적으로 범행했다고 하면서도 누가 그런 지시를 했는지 진술이나 증거는 없다'며 '검찰은 입증이 잘 안 되니까 자꾸 파이를 키우고 여론의 관심을 유도하려는 것 아닌지 우려가 된다'고 덧붙였다.

    국정원은 '검찰이 (1차 공소장 변경 당시) 정치관여·선거개입 증거라고 주장했던 5만5천689건 중 국정원 직원이나 외부조력자가 쓰지 않은 것으로 확인된 2만7천여건을 이번에 철회했다'고 말했다.

    검찰이 대표적인 국정원의 선거개입 글이라고 주장했던 여당 후보 후원계좌와 박사모 회원 글 1만5천여건도 철회됐다며 '그동안 수사가 부실하고 무리하게 진행됐다고 자인한 것'이라고 지적했다.
Emailjjh@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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