Nat'l Intelligence Committee Opposes Ruling Party Intelligence Committee Meeting on 29th... Election Operation Targeting Specific Candidate

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Opposition members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee have demanded that the full committee meeting scheduled for the 29th not be held. They claim that the ruling party is attempting to use the sensitive government resources of the National Intelligence Service to interfere in the April 7 by-election.

On the 25th, opposition members of the Intelligence Committee, including Ha Tae-kyung of the People Power Party, expressed their opposition to convening the Intelligence Committee through a joint statement at the National Assembly. They stated, "Yesterday, on the 24th, the Democratic Party unilaterally notified that the National Assembly Intelligence Committee would convene on March 29 without agreement between the ruling and opposition party floor leaders," adding, "This is an attempt to turn the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, which handles the most sensitive domestic and international information to protect the nation and its people, into an election manipulation committee. The extralegal election manipulation involving even national security agencies must be stopped immediately."

The opposition intelligence members pointed out, "The ruling Democratic Party is obsessed solely with winning the by-election, disregarding national security," and criticized, "The idea of holding the National Assembly Intelligence Committee meeting a week before the election to target a specific candidate for election manipulation is so absurd that it is beyond words." They continued, "They are openly attempting election manipulation by even planning to approve an illegal surveillance public hearing targeting the people during the Intelligence Committee meeting."

They added, "The Democratic Party ignored our party’s proposal to thoroughly investigate illegal surveillance against the people and to hold the Intelligence Committee meeting after the election to address the 60-year dark history of the National Intelligence Service," lamenting, "The dark history of the National Intelligence Service, which must be purged due to political manipulation and domestic political interference initiated by the Democratic Party, has now reached 61 years."

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