Speaker’s aide arrested for cyber attack on election watchdog

Prosecutors on Thursday arrested a former secretary of National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae for involvement in a cyber attack against the National Election Commission website on Oct. 26.

The former secretary, identified by his family name Kim, is suspected of having masterminded the attack with Gong, a former aide of ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Choi Gu-sik.

According to investigators, Kim had dinner with a low-ranking Chong Wa Dae official and former aide of another GNP lawmaker, Chung Du-un, in Jongno, followed by a drinking session with Gong and several other people on the eve of the attack. Prosecutors suspect that Kim took charge of the attack, aimed at influencing the result of the Seoul mayoral election, and that Gong may have followed his direction.

Kim was also spotted giving 10 million won ($8,695) each to Gong and Kang, who runs an IT firm, before Oct. 26. Kim sent another 90 million won to Kang in November. Kang’s firm is suspected of conducting the actual distributed denial-of-service attack that paralyzed the NEC website’s section on ballot station information on voting day.

Investigators said that Kim met Choi’s brother-in-law after the cyber attack and suspected that he had tried to destroy evidence.

Earlier this week, Choi was questioned over whether he was aware of all the facts. The lawmaker who was recently asked to leave the GNP said he did not take part in the plan nor had any prior information about the crime.

The attack on the NEC website was aimed at preventing younger voters from finding polling booths and casting their ballots since many voting booths had changed location from the previous election. Younger voters generally are more liberal in their voting habits. The NEC said it had received complaints that people gave up on voting because they could not gain access to information about the changed locations.

The investigation stroke a huge blow to the party, which is unpopular among people frustrated over a series scandals.

This week the GNP said it will form a special investigative committee on the case. The team to be led by Lee Jun-seok, one of the newly selected leadership members of the ruling party, will be the stepping stone to promote the party’s “purifying” process.

However, Rep. Baek Won-woo of the Democratic Unified Party, sneered at the plan.

“The GNP is the culprit behind the cyber attack. It has no right to claim anything about the investigation,” he said in a radio show Friday.

Baek said he expected the National Assembly to appoint a special prosecutor to probe into the case soon.

By Bae Ji-sook
(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)