South Korea: Spy agency, military intelligence unit raided over alleged drone flights to North Korea
Seoul: South Korean investigators on Tuesday raided the spy agency and a military intelligence command while booking three military officers as suspects over suspicions related to alleged drone flights to North Korea, officials said.
A joint team of police and military investigators carried out searches and seizures at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Defence Intelligence Command and 16 other locations, including the suspects’ homes and offices, as part of the investigation into the flights.
The three active duty officers, which include a major and a captain at the intelligence unit, are suspected of involvement in the drone incursions.
The joint investigation was launched last month after North Korea claimed South Korea infringed on its sovereignty with drone incursions in September and on January 4.
Investigators had earlier focused the investigation on three civilian suspects, including a graduate student in his 30s who claimed responsibility for the flights, before identifying his connections with the intelligence unit.
The command has reportedly said the student, surnamed Oh, cooperated in operations of a media company that served as a front for the unit’s intelligence activities.
Investigators have also identified an NIS employee who allegedly exchanged hundreds of millions of won with Oh.
The NIS conducted an internal inspection after discovering the transaction late last month but has been unable to identify links between the money and the drone flights.
The three civilian suspects are currently under investigation on charges of violating the aviation safety law and benefiting the enemy, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier on January 23, a joint team of police and military investigators had imposed travel bans on three civilian suspects accused of involvement in alleged drone flights to North Korea, sources had said.