For the past week, Korean media have been dominated with updates on the investigation into National Assembly Member Lee Seok-ki‘s alleged conspiracy to incite armed insurrection and attack South Korean infrastructure in case of a North Korean invasion. Today, footage emerged of the pandemonium as members of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service carried out a search of Lee’s office within the National Assembly building:
Online, Koreans have talked about little else besides the investigation, why it was carried out now, and what it means to President Park Geun-hye. In a perfect illustration of the political leanings among users of Korea’s top internet portals, there was a clear division between the progressive comments on Daum and the conservative voices at Naver.
From Yonhap News:
National Assembly member Lee Seok-ki charged with rebellion conspiracy
It has been confirmed that lawmaker Lee Seok-ki of the United Progressive Party (UPP) and several others are charged with conspiracy to stage a rebellion involving destroying national infrastructure and killing citizens. On 28th, the NIS raided about ten places, including Lee’s office, and arrested three individuals: Hong Sun-seok, vice chairman of the UPP’s Gyeonggi branch, Lee Sang-ho, advisor of the Gyeonggi Progressive Coalition, and Han Dong-geun, former chairman of the Suwon city board.
The targets of the investigation explained that they met Assembly Member Lee immediately following his election to the 19th Session of the National Assembly, where he conspired to attack elements of the national infrastructure. The NIS confirmed that among the evidence for their claims are recordings of Assembly Member Lee saying “in case of an emergency, have weapons ready.” The NIS is pursuing criminal charges of inciting rebellion because of the reported plans to kill large numbers of people and attack infrastructure. Investigators from the NIS searched the Suwon home of Advisor Lee Sang-ho under a warrant alleging plans to “destroy communication and gas facilities”.
The family of Advisor Lee said the NIS was alleging that “during May of 2013, Lee joined a secret meeting with approximately 130 other individuals at a location near Seoul, where they conspired to destroy communication facilities for southern Gyeonggi Province and gas facilities.” Using evidence from an internal investigation about the suspects, the NIS is also bringing charges under the National Security Law of creating an anti-Korean organization, praising North Korea, and sympathizing with the enemy. Advisor Lee came to the attention of investigators during January when he applauded chasing down the NIS employee and accused the Service of spying on civilians. A representative from the investigation stated that “the NIS has received a warrant for the arrest of these three individuals…if everything goes according to plan, they will be placed into custody on the 29th.”
There has been no application for an arrest warrant for current National Assembly Member Lee Seok-ki. Typically, an investigation will seek the approval of the National Assembly following an application to arrest an active member. However, in cases where the crime is ongoing, it is possible to make an immediate arrest. While the NIS is working on its investigation of the three individuals arrested on the 28th, it will also be analyzing the documents and digital records it seized from their offices. However, the NIS has refused to confirm the target of their investigation for this particular incident.
Comments from Naver:
cgp8****:
The NIS even secured audio recordings! They must have been working for a long time to catch them red-handed!!!!
ucan****:
Meanwhile Lee Seok-ki quietly disappeared… How can someone like him be a member of the National Assembly… What happened to his confident posture?
meca****:
Immediately recall and interrogate Lee Jung-hee, heavyweight of the Gyeonggi Eastern Coalition as well.
sks3****:
What matters is the facts… Thoroughly investigate and punish them based on concrete evidence.
tiak****:
The United Progressive Party is also hated by Korean progressives… It’s obvious that progressives are not condoning them like in the past. In this situation, the NIS should do their job to eradicate the Jongpuk and get back to their original purpose. Nam Jae-hee should immediately resign.
lanc****:
How can a spy be a member of the National Assembly….
tong****:
This is madness for real, ke ke ke. A National Assembly member was planning to overthrow his own country, ke ke ke.
ligh****:
Plotting to kill citizens, damn. Hey everybody who was in those damn candlelight protests during the mad cow disease hoax, lying about how the disease can be spread through the air, where are your protests now?
ucan****:
There is nothing new about the UPP’s spying charges…but the DUP saying they will watch carefully and stepping back is even more disgusting. These people tried to seize power… Please wake up.
aria****:
ke ke ke, whenever I watch soccer, I am still reminded of Kim Dae-jung who was in Japan to watch a soccer match while our soldiers lost their lives fighting North Koreans in the Yellow Sea in 2002.
Assembly Member Lee’s staff block the entrance to their office against the NIS.
Comments from Daum:
하늘아래푸름님:
Care to show us those audio recordings? -_-
불꽃바람님:
ke ke ke, it smells fishy…really…NIS…After the internet comment scandal…I can’t trust them…bunch of thugs working for the throne….
내공이빠이님:
If what’s written in the article is true…why did Lee Seok-ki ever become a National Assembly member rather than just working on a rebellion? ke ke ke, it reads like a bad movie…
피낭코님:
Sigh, history is going backward;; God damn Korea~~~
언제나 처음처럼님:
From the perspective of the NIS and Saenuri Party, isn’t half of our population Jongpuk lefty commies? Like food ingredients they take out from the fridge and cook as they please… We don’t know the truth yet…but I can trust this because incidents like this have always happened since the era of Park Chung-hee’s Democratic Republican Party up until today. The most effective way to force people to do your bidding is to instill fear in them. It doesn’t only apply to our parents’ generation who experienced the Korean War. Just like the pseudo-religions that exploit believers through fear.
나무가지님:
Damn NIS spooks are trying to distract everyone from the real problem.
우왕ㅋ굳ㅋ님:
The NIS is trying so hard to make a distraction. They have gone all the way to even arrest a current National Assembly member. It seems they are implementing the “Protect Park Guen-hye” project. The last chapter of the NIS’s mad strategy.
충무공님:
Her daddy [Park Chung-hee] murdered innocent people through the People’s Revolutionary Party incident. Is she trying to repeat it? Spine-chillingly like father, like daughter. F*ck.
깨어깨어님:
Plotting to blow up national infrastructure? What year is this, 1988? Even a bad movie should make sense…..
KEY-님:
After reading these comments on Daum, I think a rebellion is actually plausible.
