Spy chief denies illegal surveillance on court's impeachment ruling

South Korea's spy chief denied Tuesday that his agency illegally collected information on the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, lawmakers said.

Lee Byung-ho, director of the National Intelligence Service, told a parliamentary session that the allegation raised by a local broadcaster Saturday is not true, although the agency does have a team handling all courts and the prosecution, according to Reps. Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Byung-kee.
  National Intelligence Service Director Lee Byung-ho (C) attends a meeting of the parliamentary intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 7, 2017. (Yonhap)

"Surveillance means wiretapping or tailing someone, but no such thing happened," the spy chief told a meeting of the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to the lawmakers who briefed reporters after attending the closed-door session.

Lee acknowledged, however, that the NIS operates a team to conduct "standard intelligence activities" related to the works of the Constitutional Court, other courts and the prosecution.

The SBS report alleged that the NIS official conducting the surveillance has long been responsible for collecting information on the judicial circles.

Lee confirmed the rank of the official, not the name, saying he has been in charge of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court since the beginning of the year. The same official handled the courts from 2013 to 2015 as well, he added.

"We collect information on trends unrelated to the impeachment (trial)," he said. "There were no reports made to superiors about meetings with Constitutional Court officials on the impeachment case or about whether (the impeachment) is likely to be upheld or rejected."

The only basis for collecting information on courts is to "screen" cases involving anti-communism, anti-terrorism or anti-international crime operations as stipulated under the National Intelligence Service Act, Lee said.

Park was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9 over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal centered on her close friend Choi Soon-sil.

The Constitutional Court has been reviewing the legality of the impeachment and is expected to deliver its ruling no later than Monday.

If the court confirms the impeachment, Park will be permanently removed from office and South Korea will be required to hold a presidential election within 60 days. (Yonhap)

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