South Korean Spy Chief Admits Causing Leak, Resigns

Via Asian News Network -

The national intelligence chief resigned yesterday (Jan 15) in an admission of responsibility for a leaked report about his meeting prior to the presidential election with a top North Korean official.

Kim Man-bok, director of the National Intelligence Service, admitted at a press conference at the NIS headquarters in Seoul yesterday that he had leaked the information to an unidentified executive with a vernacular daily on condition the report would not be made public. The NIS also said that Kim had given the report to 14 other people, including retired NIS officials.

"I express my intention to resign and at the same time apologize to the public for causing this scandal," he said.

He further explained that the report had been written to dispel suspicions that the NIS tried to influence the presidential election. He said he had wanted to prove that the agency had remained strictly neutral in the election.

The presidential transition committee expressed its indignation over the development as the NIS had initially attempted to pin the blame on the committee.

"This is most regretful and unfortunate. (Kim Man-bok) created great national confusion, something that a government chief should never have done," said committee spokesman Lee Dong-kwan, adding that a legal investigation into the matter would follow.

However, the committee declined to comment on whether the incident would spur a widely called-for overhaul of the intelligence agency.

Cheong Wa Dae expressed regret over the incident and said it would likely accept Kim's resignation.

On Jan 10, the JoongAng Daily newspaper released excerpts of a Dec 18 conversation between Kim Man-bok and Kim Yang-gon, who spearheads the North's contacts with Seoul. The excerpts had been drawn up by the NIS as part of a policy briefing to the presidential transition committee.

According to the excerpts, the spy chief told the North Korean official that Lee Myung-bak was likely to win the election but said that the North need not worry about the change. Kim Man-bok said that the conservative Grand National Party would be "certain to continue with the engagement policy toward North Korea" and that Lee Myung-bak "can better persuade the conservatives" and would "implement even bolder policies."

The presidential transition team had vowed to track down and penalise the committee members responsible for the leak. However, the committee later said it was more likely that the leak came from within the NIS.