NIS: "Allegations of Election Manipulation Related to Election Commission Inspection Are Groundless"

Opposition Claims 'Election Interference' Over NIS Security Check
NIS Reports 'Election Commission Vulnerable to North Korean Hacking'
"Election Manipulation, Announcement Without Consultation? All Groundless"

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has stated that allegations of a 'NIS-originated government authority election' are groundless. The NIS recently conducted a joint security inspection of the National Election Commission (NEC) and announced that our election system is vulnerable to hacking attacks from North Korea.

On the 18th, the NIS stated in a press release, "The 'government authority election allegations' related to the NEC security inspection are completely untrue," adding, "The security inspection was conducted at the request of the NEC, and three organizations?the NIS, the NEC, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA)?jointly verified the safety of the NEC's information system (including the election system)." It also emphasized, "Observers from both ruling and opposition parties participated in the inspection process."

National Intelligence Service Building
Photo by National Intelligence Service

Earlier, the three organizations, including the NIS, jointly inspected the NEC's security system starting in July. On the 10th, the NIS announced the inspection results stating that "the NEC's voting and counting system could be subject to hacking attacks from North Korea." However, since this announcement was made just one day before the by-election for the mayor of Gangseo District in Seoul, some raised suspicions of "election interference."

Cho Seung-rae, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee from the Democratic Party, said at a National Assembly audit strategy meeting held the previous day, "The NIS released a press statement one day before the Gangseo District mayoral by-election, stating that 'the voting classification results could be altered by hacking.' However, it was confirmed that neither KISA nor the NEC agreed with the announcement, nor was there any prior consultation with the NIS."

In response, an NIS official rebutted, "We informed KISA in advance about the plan to distribute the press release, and KISA participated not only in the joint inspection but also in the 'final results briefing for the NEC' held on September 13. On the day of the press conference (the 10th), a KISA staff member was also present."

Democratic Party of Korea National Assembly Inspection Countermeasure Meeting
Photo by Yonhap News

Additionally, Kang Byung-won, a Democratic Party lawmaker, claimed at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit on the 13th, "After investigating the security system, the NIS left behind two tools (inspection tools), which the NEC discovered and deleted," and argued, "NIS-originated government authority elections could become a reality." However, the NEC explained, "This was part of the follow-up process of security consulting agreed upon with the NIS."

Regarding these allegations, an NIS official emphasized, "The purpose of this joint security inspection by the three organizations was to identify technical security vulnerabilities in preparation for cyberattacks such as hacking from North Korea and to protect the NEC's election information system so that citizens can vote with confidence."

They added, "Furthermore, claims that NIS employees are violating the National Intelligence Service Act by accessing various organizations are unfounded," and stated, "The NIS faithfully performs its duties within the scope of its responsibilities to protect national security and the safety of the people in accordance with Article 4 of the National Intelligence Service Act and other related laws."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.