South Korea’s spy agency admits trying to influence 2012 election

South Korea’s spy agency has admitted that it had engaged in a far-reaching attempt to manipulate voters as it sought to help conservatives win parliamentary and presidential elections.

In-house investigators from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed that the agency’s cyberwarfare unit organised and operated up to 30 teams for more than two years in the run-up to the 2012 elections, the agency said in a statement late on Thursday.

The agency hired internet-savvy civilians and sought to sway voter opinions through postings on portals and Twitter.

“The teams were charged with spreading pro-government opinions and suppressing anti-government views, describing them as pro-North Korean forces’ attempts to disturb state affairs”, it said.

At the time the country was led by the conservative Lee Myung-bak, and in the event the December 2012 presidential election was won by his now-disgraced colleague Park Geun-hye, who defeated liberal Moon Jae-in.

Moon won South Korea’s presidential vote in May this year after Park was impeached and dismissed over corruption and abuse of power, and ordered an investigation.