▲ Former NIS Chief, Lee Byung-kee

On Friday, the Seoul Central District prosecutors' office summoned former National Intelligence Service Chief Lee Byung-kee, who headed the agency from 2015 to 2017. Nam Jae-joon, who held the position from 2013 to 2014, and Lee Byung-ho were examined by the prosecutors. Through this summon, all three NIS chiefs are now examined by the prosecution. The suspicion they are receiving is the losses of status coffers.

▲ Former President Park requested the NIS`s special activities budget

Former National Intelligence Service chiefs under Park's administration allegedly abused the agency's special activities budget, which investigators suspected that it was an illicit channel for the bribery of Park. The former NIS Chief Lee is suspected making secretive money transfer to Park's former aides. The NIS appeared to be providing 50 million won monthly, a total of four billion won, to former presidential secretaries. The prosecution suspected that the final destination of this money is former President Park. Due to this summon, Ahn Bong-geun, Lee Jae-man and Jeong Ho-seong were also found out to be involved in this bribery.

Former President Lee Myung-bak was not an exception, too. The suspicion of four river refurbishment projects, resources diplomacy, diffusion and the comment manipulation cases are now rising. Also, prosecutors were looking into allegations that the spy agency blacklisted media professionals deemed unfriendly to former President Lee. Lee also instructed to select a president who had the same thought as him. In addition, Lee's brother had the largest stock of Das, but it was found out to be fake because of Lee's stock manipulation. Also, he retrieved the investment of Das in his term. Lee is now forbidden from leaving the country. However, whether he will respond or not to the investigation is not clear.

▲ Former President Lee was forbidden from leaving the country.

The second settlement has now begun. The key question is whether Park was behind the scheme to amass slush funds from the NIS. As more suspicions were found out, the ruling party said that the former President needs to be investigated by the prosecution. Also, people said that former President Lee, the middle of bribery, needs an exhaustive investigation. The cleaning up deep-rooted evils is now ongoing, not ending.

Nov. 18th, by 장유진