ROK investigating progressive groups for establishing pro-North Korea spy cells
Conservative lawmakers say far-left party in Jeju and Changwon was allegedly in contact with DPRK agents
Ifang Bremer January 12, 2023
ROK investigating progressive groups for establishing pro-North Korea spy cells
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The main gate of Gyeongbokgung palace in the heart of Seoul, South Korea, with a North Korean flag behind | Image: NK News
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South Korean authorities are investigating multiple civil organizations for allegedly working with North Korean agents to conduct covert intelligence operations in the South, ruling People Power Party (PPP) politicians stated Wednesday.
In a statement on social media, lawmaker Tae Yong-ho said the National Intelligence Service (NIS) “has been investigating allegations of espionage, with officials from South Korea’s progressive political parties meeting with North Korean agents to establish an underground organization.”
On the same day, lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo stated on his own social media channel that a ROK “spy cell” on Jeju island used encrypted communications to communicate with North Korean agents. Yet another group has operated in the southern city of Changwon, he said, pointing out the area’s large number of defense industry firms.
“North Korea has long abandoned the analog method of sending spies down to the South” and now combines cyber operations with social engineering to turn South Koreans into pro-Pyongyang agents, Ahn wrote.
The Chosun Ilbo reported earlier this week that the NIS raided the Jeju homes of multiple Progressive Party members on suspicion of meeting North Korean agents in Cambodia in 2017.
The South Korean politicians allegedly received orders to establish an underground organization to spread anti-government and anti-American propaganda.
According to the Chosun Ilbo, the NIS’ search warrant also mentioned the Jeju branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). The umbrella organization allegedly organized protests against U.S.-ROK military drills and the construction of a naval base on the island.
The NIS raided the home of pro-unification Progressive Party member Kang Eunju last November on suspicion of violating the National Security Act (NSA), but the agency did not reveal specific charges at the time.
The NSA gives the government broad power to investigate and prosecute anyone suspected of sympathizing with or working in support of North Korea.
The Progressive Party released a statement on Tuesday accusing prosecutors of leaking the search warrant to the media. The party also slammed the NIS for conducting a 16-hour raid on Kang’s house, stating that she is a terminal cancer patient.
Also on Tuesday, the KCTU said it “would not tolerate” the Chosun Ilbo’s claim that its Jeju headquarters operated under North Korean orders “based only on the content of the search and seizure warrant.”
Pyongyang has shown an ongoing interest in recruiting South Korean citizens for espionage activities. NK News has reported on multiple North Korean defectors that have been coerced into spying for the regime.
South Korean authorities have targeted pro-unification political parties in the past. In 2014, the Constitutional Court controversially ordered the disbandment of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) for allegedly promoting a “North Korean-style” government in the ROK. Progressive Party presidential candidate Kim Jae-yeon is a former UPP party member.
강은주 김재연
Edited by Arius Derr
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