Prosecution reignites Kakao surveillance furor

The prosecution’s recent moves against a senior member of the Labor Party have reignited a surveillance controversy, after the investigative agency was denounced for allegedly conducting real-time monitoring of ordinary mobile users.

In its report to the Seoul Central District Court, the prosecution argued that the Labor Party’s deputy chief Jung Jin-woo had caused “public chaos by spreading groundless criticism of a legitimate police investigation” into his online conversations on KakaoTalk, a mobile messenger service.

While Jung was indicted and taken into custody on charges of violating the law on public assembly and holding demonstrations on June 27, he was freed on bail on July 17. On Aug. 22, however, the prosecution asked the court to reverse its earlier decision to release him on bail.

Though the court has yet to reach a decision on the request, the prosecution on Thursday submitted supplementary documents concerning a senior prosecutor’s opinion that the decision to release him on bail should be withdrawn.

Though the prosecution clarified that the supplementary documents are only aimed at helping the court make a quick decision, its move is raising the public suspicions that the investigative authority is trying to shift responsibility for the alleged cybersurveillance to the opposition politician.

KakaoTalk became a subject of controversy after Jung Jin-woo said earlier this month that the prosecution looked into his KakaoTalk conversations and private information of about 3,000 of his acquaintances registered with the service.

Jung was among those who gathered at a rally in early June to demand a thorough investigation into the April 16 ferry sinking disaster. Police confiscated Jung’s June 10 conversations and postings, saying that he had disobeyed the agency’s order to break up the rally.

Despite Jung’s revelations, the prosecution and police have continued to argue that the probe was conducted on a legitimate basis.

The controversy further escalated after Rep. Jung Cheong-rae of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy claimed that the authority has monitored conversations, not only on KakaoTalk, but also on Naver Corp.’s social networking service BAND.

After being severely denounced over the past few days for its alleged move to conduct surveillance of ordinary SNS users, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office agreed to drop the plan at a senior-level meeting last week.

A senior prosecutor dismissed rumors that the prosecution was moving to demand that Internet portals delete postings of some netizens or mobile users.

He said, however, the investigative agency would not scrap its plan to set up a hotline with major Web portals such as Naver and Daum. He argued that the closer collaboration was aimed at assisting victims of defamation.

Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn had come under tough criticism during the parliamentary audit due to his remarks that the prosecution’s move to reinforce oversight of the Internet and mobile users was in line with President Park Geun-hye’s instructions to turn up the heat on those engaging in defamation.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)