Court officials on Friday accepted tape-recorded conversations of the so-called Revolutionary Organization as evidence in the trial of group members for intent to destroy important government buildings in case of a North Korean invasion.

Justices at the Suwon District Court chose to admit 32 of the 47 tape recordings presented as evidence by the prosecution.

The tape recordings reportedly documented RO members vehemently proposing the destruction of government buildings under the leadership of the opposition Unified Progressive Party Rep. Lee Seok-ki. A member present at one of the RO’s meetings in May reportedly submitted the tapes to the National Intelligence Service. The NIS then conducted raids and searches to gather further evidence against Rep. Lee.

Whether the tape recordings should be presented as evidence in the courts has been controversial, as the defense lawyers charged that the audio tapes were obtained through means that violated communication laws.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)