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Court arraigns ex-NIS officials in election meddling scandal
By YonhapPublished : Sept. 7, 2017 - 14:51
A court in Seoul arraigned two retired officials of the state intelligence agency Thursday as it considers whether to approve the arrest warrants for them on charges of interference in the 2012 presidential election.
Prosecutors sought the warrant for one of the former National Intelligence Service officials, identified only by his surname Roh, on charges of leading other members of an NIS retirees' association to write Internet comments favorable to then ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye.
The other former NIS official, identified only as Park, was accused of trying to destroy evidence when the prosecution recently reopened the case at the NIS' request.
Roh and Park were arraigned at the Seoul Central District Court. The court is expected to decide whether to approve the warrants late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
Last week, former NIS Director Won Sei-hoon was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of orchestrating the election interference.
Prosecutors recently reopened the investigation after an internal probe by the NIS found that the agency ran 30 such "cyberteams" to influence public opinion from 2009-2012 under Won's direction. It referred 48 team leaders, including the NIS retirees, to the prosecution.
The prosecution has questioned more than 10 NIS officials and cyberteam heads and raided dozens of locations related to the covert operations.
Prosecutors said they are looking into other suspects'
involvement to decide whether to seek arrest warrants for them. The team leaders could be charged as Won's accomplices, according to the prosecution.
Park won the 2012 election but was ousted in March this year and now stands trial for corruption and abuse of power. (Yonhap)
