Rival Parties Locked in Conflict Over Nis Scandal

Rival parties continued to trade barbs Monday over allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conducted illegal surveillance on citizens.

The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) agreed last week to hold a session with surveillance experts at the NIS headquarters Thursday.

The NPAD has urged the intelligence agency to submit records about surveillance software it purchased from the Italian firm Hacking Team in 2012 in advance. They include all restored data as well as the log files of the program which could access private digital content on phones and computers.

The NIS, however, rejected the demand, dimming the prospects for the session.

"It is meaningless to hold a session there without having necessary information for technical analysis," NPAD lawmaker Shin Kyoung-min, a member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, said during a press briefing, Monday, hinting at the possibility of boycotting the session. "We will ask the agency to disclose the data once again."

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the party's fact-finding panel, also raised his voice against the NIS, saying, "The situation now is like IT experts given a blank paper being forced to discuss the matter."

Meanwhile, the Saenuri Party slammed the NPAD's move, saying it is not cooperating with the Assembly's efforts to clear...