Police Twice Raid NIS Over Alleged Unlawful Budget Support for National Security Office

It has been revealed that police conducted two search-and-seizure operations against the National Intelligence Service (NIS) this year to investigate allegations of unlawful budget support provided to the National Security Office.

According to Representative Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency executed search warrants against the NIS in January and September of this year.

Police dispatched investigators to secure documents and computer files to verify suspicions that the NIS unlawfully transferred a portion of its proprietary budget to the National Security Office in 2022 under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

In connection with these suspicions, police have reportedly questioned 20 current and former officials, including an individual who served as a senior NIS executive at the time.

The investigation began after Representative Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party of Korea filed a criminal complaint in October of last year, requesting punishment over suspected violations of the National Finance Act by the NIS involving the National Security Office.

Article 47 of the National Finance Act stipulates that central government agencies must not share budgets with other state organizations.

According to the lawmaker's office, the NIS established an "influence operation project plan" in July of that year, reported it to the National Security Office, and executed a total of approximately 170 million won across 50 instances through June of the following year.

While the NIS established principles for the project—such as prohibiting cash transfers, requiring NIS personnel to accompany expenditures, and executing funds only when collaborating with other agencies or the private sector—Representative Yoon Kun-young stated that a breakdown of the specific details suggests arbitrary support.

Out of the 50 instances, actual meetings with foreigners as intended by the project occurred in only 8 cases, while 38 cases were executed under the pretext of advisory tasks involving contact with domestic nationals.

Representative Yoon pointed out that the main contents included covering the National Security Office's own bento meeting expenses, as well as meal expenses for journalists, business figures, former high-ranking public officials, professors, and former First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Tae-hyo.

In a post uploaded to Facebook, Representative Yoon stated, "This kind of behavior is clear illegality," adding, "The presidential office and the National Security Office distinctly have their own budgets, yet former First Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo twisted the arm of the NIS to use NIS money like his own personal credit card."

Police also raided the NIS in January over suspicions of attempting to influence the Gangseo-gu District Mayor by-election in Seoul in 2023.

At the time, security inspection results claiming that "election vote-counting results could be hacked" were announced just before the election.

The core of the suspicion is that high-ranking NIS officials were involved in determining the timing of this announcement and that the content contained falsehoods.

The investigation into this suspicion likewise began after Representative Park Sun-won filed a criminal complaint with the police based on a tip-off.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.