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Agence France-Presse

A former spy chief for South Korea was jailed for four years on Wednesday for leading an online campaign against the man who is now president, Moon Jae-in, during the 2012 election.
Won Sei-hoon, who led the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from 2009 to 2013, orchestrated an illicit smear campaign to sway voters in favour of the conservative party, led at the time by Park Geun-hye, Seoul High Court said.
South Korea only fully embraced democracy in the 1990s and its intelligence services have long been accused of interfering in elections in favour of the incumbent authorities.

Moon lost the 2012 poll to Park but was elected earlier this year after her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
He has vowed to reform the NIS to prevent it meddling in domestic politics and focus it more on collecting and analysing intelligence on North Korea and foreign affairs.
Won had violated the political neutrality of the NIS by “spreading pro-government opinions through online postings”, the High Court said in its ruling.
After President Park’s impeachment, the ‘phoney campaign’ to replace her has already begun
Two other former NIS officials convicted of colluding with Won were given suspended sentences.
Wednesday’s ruling was the latest stage in a long-running legal saga.
Won was first convicted in 2014 but only given a suspended sentence. Both sides appealed and the High Court imposed a three-year term, only for the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and send it back for re-hearing.
New evidence emerged in the meantime, the High Court said, resulting in the longer penalty.


South Korea’s former spy chief jailed for election meddling

Won Sei-hoon, former director of the South Korean National Intelligence Agency, enters Seoul High Court on August 30, 2017. Photo: EPA/pixelated at source

epa06171284 Handcuffed Won Sei-hoon (R), former director of the South Korean National Intelligence Agency, is taken to a detention center after the Seoul High Court sentenced him on Aug. 30, 2017, to four years in prison for interfering in the 2012 presidential election. He was indicted in 2013 for running an illicit smear campaign via the Internet in favor of then presidential candidate Park Geun-hye. EPA/YONHAP -- ATTENTION EDITORS: IMAGE PIXELATED AT SOURCE -- SOUTH KOREA OUT

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