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NIS coerces a college student into fractional activities

It was exposed that National Information Services or NIS (the former National Security Planning Agency) had maneuvered fraction activities for which National Security Planning Agency, the predecessor of NIS, was notorious. This affair added shock to the public, because there has been another doubt that NIS tries to establish a section for monitoring mass media.

Kang Sung Seok, aged 25, a physical education senior of Seoul National University, revealed that a NIS agent Lee Yang Su Lee has coerced him into fraction activities. According to Kang, agent Lee tried to gain informations about Kang's human connections of student movement in SNU.

It is on May 10th when Kang met Lee for the first time. An administrative assistant of department asked Kang to visit the department office to converse on Kang's bachelor thesis. When Kang came to the office, the assistant introduced Lee as one of his former classmates, then Lee took him to a restaurant. Lee introduced himself to Kang that he was in NIS, and asked on human networks of student movement in SNU. Kang refused to answer then Lee threatened, "If you don't cooperate with my business, I can deeply examine you". After this, Lee made phone calls to Kang every two or three days, dropped by at the school where Kang was practising teacher internship to demand information, and gave Kang money as living expenses.

In addition, on May 18th, Lee came to the school with a pamphlet titled 'The Way of National Salvation' related to North Korea, and said to Kang, "Tell me the names of persons who are covertly listening to North Korean broadcasting. If you cooperate, then I will help you being a teacher, give you a chance to study abroad, and settle out your military service". However, Kang continued to reject these proposals, then Lee threatened again, "I will use the last means" and then have not kept in touch with Kang since June 14th.

Tenacious Coercion into Fraction Activities

Kang Sung Seok, who had been seized with fear by Lee's threat, asked for help to both the Sarangbang Human Rights Group and the Arrangement Committee for 'Civil Solidarity for Human Rights'. Both human rights groups verified Kang's claim through internal investigations. Kang spoke over the telephone with Lee for the last time at about 4:30 on June 17th. The conversation on the telephone as follows;

Kang: What is the last means?
Lee : Negotiation is over. I tried to help you as a your former classmate but your attitude was vague, thus all is already end.
Kang: Then, what do I have to do for you now?
Lee : You don't need to tell me all thirty members of student movement. Tell me only names of persons who wrote the script of North Korean broadcasting.

NIS shows its true colors

Both the case happened at room 529 in National Assembly last year, the establishment of a section monitoring mass media, and this coercion into fraction activities drive the people into doubt NIS' reform. This affair revealed that NIS's business of collecting information nothing but penetrated into students' every day lives. It cannot get by with any excuse.

Kang said, "Because I dreamed of being a teacher and hoped to finish the last course of internship without mischance, I was meeting Lee for one month". He added, "When he told me about my sister's private life that even I hadn't known and when he said that I wasn't the only man for informations, I was terribly fearful".

SOURCE:KOREA HUMAN RIGHTS DAILY NEWS June 22th, 1999