Prosecutors indict suspected spies for North Korea

A civic activist suspected of spying for North Korea arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul to attend his arrest warrant hearing on Jan. 31. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors indicted four South Korean activists suspected of founding a pro-Pyongyang spy ring based in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on charges of violating the National Security Law.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Wednesday referred the suspects, including their 70-year-old leader Hwang, to the courts after an investigation into their alleged espionage activities.

The four suspects, who resided in Changwon, are accused of establishing an underground organization called the Self-Reliant People's Liberation Front in 2016 to foment unrest against the South Korean government and the U.S. military presence in the South.

They were arrested in late January on suspicion of establishing the Changwon spy ring in 2016 and contacting the North's intelligence agents in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries to receive directives and money from them. They were later transferred to the custody of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Feb. 17.

Prosecutors accused them of following orders by North Korean agents to criticize the South Korean government and foment public division for more than six years. They are also accused of collecting information on the domestic situation and reporting it to the North.

Members of the ring allegedly infiltrated civic groups or labor unions related to farmers and students to recruit new members.

Their alleged espionage activities were discovered after six years of internal investigation by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), including collecting overseas evidence and wiretapping.

The prosecution described the spy ring as a criminal group operating secretly with the goal of achieving North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's revolutionary strategy against South Korea, with Juche, or self-reliance, as its guiding ideology.

When contacting North Korean agents, they allegedly used methods decided upon in advance, and allegedly discussed destroying or swallowing mass storage devices such as USBs in which data was stored if discovered.

The four suspects are also members of the South Gyeongsang Progressive Alliance, which since last year has held demonstrations demanding the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol and the suspension of joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]