Four former and incumbent executives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), who have been under investigation by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and others on charges of contacting North Korean agents on several occasions, have been arrested.
On the 28th, Suwon District Court Chief Judge Cha Jin-seok, in charge of warrants, announced on the 28th that he had issued arrest warrants for four people, including Mr.
The judge explained the reason for the issuance, saying, “The crime charges have been clarified, and there is a risk of destroying evidence and escaping.”
The National Intelligence Service and the National Investigation Headquarters applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. A and others on the 23rd.
From 2017 to last year, Mr. A is accused of meeting three operatives belonging to the North Korean Workers’ Party’s South Korean operations agency in Guangzhou, Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Vietnam, and Hanoi, Vietnam.
It is also known that while communicating with the North for several years, they exchanged reports to the North and directives to the South over 100 times.
The counterintelligence authorities believe that the North Korean agent made a request to the effect of “leading the organization as North Korea wants,” such as delivering anti-government protest slogans such as independence, democracy, unification, and anti-US to Mr. A and others through directives to South Korea.
In particular, following the Itaewon Halloween disaster in October of last year, it is said that he wrote down slogans for protests such as “Resignation is a memorial”.
The rest of the arrest warrants issued that day, including former and current executives under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, are also suspected of meeting North Korean agents in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In this regard, the National Intelligence Service said, “On January 18, we searched and seized the residences and offices of four people, including Mr. A, and found more than 100 communication documents to North Korea.” We have secured a significant amount of evidence to prove major crimes, such as espionage and voluntary support, special infiltration and escape and meeting, and convenience provision.”
It is unusual for the National Intelligence Service to officially explain the reason for issuing the warrant.
The NIS said, “Some of the crimes committed by these criminals might pose an urgent threat to public safety, so we decided to disclose the fact that the warrants were issued.” I will find out,” he said.
[ 경기신문 = 박진석 기자 ]
