'Ahn' Denies Passing On Secrets to Foreign Aide

The National Intelligence Service official who is thought to have passed on state secrets to a foreign intelligence officer denied the allegation Tuesday.

"I got a small amount of money from the officer as a courtesy but I never received a huge sum," said the official identified as Ahn. He added that his conversations with the foreign intelligence officer identified as Y were mostly about background information on inter-Korean relations that most people are familiar with, and that he had never passed on classified information.

Shin Kuhn, the director-general of the National Intelligence Service, said Tuesday that he had expressed regret to the embassy of the country whose intelligence officer contacted Mr. Ahn and had asked the embassy to prevent such incidents from recurring.

A foreign intelligence officer needs to get permission from the National Intelligence Service prior to meeting a South Korean intelligence officer, Mr. Shin said. He said it was wrong of Y to meet personally with Mr. Ahn, but confirmed that Mr. Ahn had not received money or passed on classified information.

Gerald McLaughlin, spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Seoul, said he was unable to comment on issues related to an alleged intelligence breach.

The controversy spilled over to the political realm. Kwon Chul-hyun, spokesman for the opposition Grand National Party, said, "If it is indeed true that classified information was passed on to a foreign government, not only should the responsible officer be fired, but also the director-general of the National Intelligence Service should be punished."

Mr. Kwon asserted that because of the alleged leak, foreign governments may have had access to information about the sunshine policy that the Korean people are not aware of.

Representative Chung Hyung-keun of the Grand National Party, who is on the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, said he would hold a hearing on the incident.

While Jeon Yong-hak, spokesman for the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, tried to minimize the consequences by saying that important information was not leaked, Yoo Jay-kun, chairman of the party's special committee on international cooperation, said the incident may trigger national outrage.

Other lawmakers speculated about a possible internal feud within the National Intelligence Service. A senior opposition lawmaker said the intelligence agency is filled with discontent because Unification Minister Lim Dong-won directly supervises the agency's North Korean operation. Another lawmaker wondered whether there was a conflict within the agency over the engagement policy toward North Korea.

A prosecutor said, "It's difficult not to investigate the case if it becomes a controversial political issue." He said it was unlikely that the National Intelligence Service would be able to wrap up the matter quietly.

by Lee Young-jong