hankyoreh

August 10. (by Lee Jeong-woo

By Jung Hwan-bong and Kim Jeong-pil, staff reporters

Bank accounts in the name of a civilian enlisted by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for political activities during last December’s presidential election were found to have received 92 million won (US$80,000), believed to be from the agency, police records show.

The man, identified by the surname Lee, was found to have received the money through bank transfers. The size of the payments, along with the large number of civilians believed to have been enlisted in the NIS campaign to influence public opinion through online posts, could mean that the organization may have paid much more for its illegal political involvement.

On Aug. 11, Hankyoreh reporters acquired a copy of police records from the case that had been sent to prosecutors. According to the records, a total of 92,340,000 won (US$83,000), believed to be from the NIS, was deposited in two of Lee’s bank accounts between Nov. 2011 and January 2013, when the police investigation of the case entered full swing.

Twenty-nine deposits at ATMs totaling 49,250,000 won (US$44,300) were reportedly made to Lee’s Citibank account between Nov. 24, 2011, and Jan. 28, 2013. From an examination of bank CCTV footage, police concluded that Lee had made the deposits himself, apparently with cash received from the NIS. The 29 deposits ranged from 50,000 won (US$45) to as much as 4.2 million (US$3,800), with most of them - totaling 36.6 million won (US$32,900) - coming in the eight months before the election in December.

The deposits also coincide precisely with the period Lee spent living in a one room apartment (in a building identified by the initial “S”) in the Irwon neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam district. Lee moved into the building on Nov. 18, 2011, and left on Jan. 5 of this year to move in with a friend. Lee, whose primary residence is in Busan, is believed by many to have moved into the apartment for the purpose of writing politically motivated online posts on behalf of the NIS. Police suspect that the deposits were “intelligence service” payments for the NIS operations.

Another set of transfers totaling 43.09 million won (US$38,800) were made to Lee‘s Woori Bank account between May 21 and June 4 of last year from the account of an individual identified as Jeong. Police believe Jeong may have acted as an intermediary for NIS payments to Lee.

Prosecutors have reportedly verified that the NIS was the source of the funds.

“The money just passed through Jeong’s hands,” said a source with the prosecutors on condition of anonymity. “We have verified the direct source of the 40 million won, but cannot disclose it.”

The payments that have come to light total 92.34 million won, but the actual amount paid to Lee may be more than 100 million won, given the possibility that he may have kept some of the amount in cash or used accounts under another name. Based on the size of the amount, which would appear too large for a single agent’s services, police believe there is a good chance it was split among other NIS assistants who were supervised by Lee.

“Lee’s living expenses and spending habits were far too lavish to believe his explanation, which is that he went without work and just lived off help from friends and acquaintances,” the prosecutors said. “We cannot rule out the possibility that he received a large intelligence payment from the NIS and redistributed it to second and third accomplices.”

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