Former Intelligence Chief Sentenced to 5 Years

Kwon Yong Hae, the former chief of the Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) was sentenced to five years imprisonment and disqualified from public office for two additional years the Seoul district court on Sep 23. Kwon was prosecuted for abusing authority while attempting to defeat opposition candidates in the presidential election in December 1997.
The court also sentenced Park Il Lyong, the former high-ranking official of the ANCP to two years imprisonment and two years disqualification from seeking public office but suspended the sentence to probation. The court sentenced other high-ranking officials including Lim Kwang Soo, Ko Sung Jin, and Lim Kyong Mook to one and a half year imprisonment but also suspended the sentence to probation.
Lee Sang Saeng, another high-ranking official of the ANSP was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment and a two-year disqualification from public office. He was prosecuted for kidnapping and confining another ANSP official who wanted to disclose the illegal acts of the intelligence agency.
Son Chung Moo, the publisher of the biweekly magazine 'Inside World' was sentenced to two years imprisonment. He was indicted on suspicion of publishing articles which denounced Kim Dae Jung's presidential candidacy.
In total the intelligence agency scandal produced three jail terms and five freed on probation, among eight prosecuted. The court which has jurisdiction in this case said, 'The accused Kwon violated his duty to keep political neutrality and committed various illegal acts in attempting to defame a certain presidential candidate. However the court suspended the sentences of other officials of the ANSP in consideration of the extenuating circumstances involved in party politics and following party dictates.'