Lee Jong-seok, in response to a question about 'forcibly repatriating North Korean fishermen defectors', said, "It is right to send them back."

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Park Soo-yoon, Kwon Hee-won, and Jo Daun = On the 29th, the National Intelligence Service said that the report that North Korea had made a test broadcast through a loudspeaker to South Korea was a "misinformation" due to a misreport by a resident.

Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, reported this at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee's audit of government affairs held at the National Intelligence Service building in Seoul on this day, Rep. Yoon Geon-young of the Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Yoo Young-ha of the People's Power Party, who are secretaries of the ruling and opposition parties on the Intelligence Committee, reported in a briefing.

When asked whether the Daenam Broadcasting report was true, Director Lee responded, "It is not true. It was determined that the report made by a Daeseong-ri resident was incorrect," Rep. Yoo said.

Rep. Yoo responded to a reporter's question about whether there were any new trends related to loudspeakers targeting South Korea, saying, "It is a matter for the Ministry of National Defense to answer, not the National Intelligence Service." He added, "Members of the National Assembly only inquired about the facts regarding the report that loudspeakers were used toward South Korea, and all they confirmed was that it was different from the facts."

Regarding North Korea's exposure of old self-propelled artillery in the coastal border area of ​​Gaepung-gun, Hwanghae-do, he also added, "When the National Defense Committee conducted an audit of state administration, the audit results showed that existing self-propelled artillery was hidden, and was not newly installed."

When Representative Lee In-young of the Democratic Party asked whether it was a border or a cease-fire line regarding the nature of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Director Lee said, "North Korea claims it is a border, but currently, it has no choice but to view it as a military demarcation line, and for it to become a border, there must be an agreement between the two Koreas," Rep. Yoon said.

Director Lee also recently denied the rumor, saying that North Korea used beauty tactics against South Korean officials, as untrue.

Director Lee responded to a question about whether there were reports in some media that North Korea was raising the children of South Korean officials in a specific area of ​​Pyongyang by using pretense against them, and said, "I have not received any reports about such reports. At that point, the National Intelligence Service would have been fully aware of it."

He then replied, “I have an inquiry, so I will check, but I don’t think it is true.”

Previously, the Ministry of Unification announced that it would pursue a complaint to the Press Arbitration Commission regarding a media report that there was a daughter of Unification Minister Chung Dong-young in North Korea.

Director Lee was also asked about his opinion on the 'forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen', in which two North Korean fishermen accused of murdering 16 fellow sailors were returned to North Korea even though they had expressed their intention to defect, he replied, "It is right to send them back based on personal opinions."

Meanwhile, Director Lee expressed regret, saying that it was "wrong" in relation to Rep. Yoon's inquiry that "During the December 3 martial law, the National Intelligence Service's Security Investigation Bureau prepared a list of security forces, and the National Intelligence Service issued a statement in September last year to the effect that it was an individual's deviation."

At the same time, Rep. Yoon reported that Director Lee responded to the list of security forces with the intention of “completely incinerating” the list.

In response to Rep. Yoon's request to 'recover overseas funds suspected of being misappropriated by former National Security Office First Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo and thoroughly discipline the staff in charge,' he responded, "We will review whether strong measures are possible."

When asked if there were plans to transfer the National Intelligence Service's background investigation work to the Ministry of Personnel Management, he explained, "We will follow the government's decision on the background investigation work," and added, "We are willing to reallocate personnel as determined. However, it is not a situation where the National Intelligence Service will step forward and preemptively do such things."

Regarding the need for a manual and sanctions to prevent side effects that may arise during the National Intelligence Service's background investigation process, he stated, "We are still doing this and will further strengthen it."

Regarding the transfer of the National Intelligence Service's anti-communist investigation authority to the police, Director Lee responded to Rep. Yoo's question by saying, "Depending on cases such as transnational crimes such as terrorism and drugs or cyber crimes, it is necessary to consider as a long-term task a plan to secure the compulsory investigative authority to designate a special envoy to conduct search and seizure," and replied, "I think it is still difficult in the field of counterintelligence, considering public sentiment and public opinion," and "There is a need to review such issues as a long-term task."

In addition, the National Intelligence Service responded to the point that 'active cooperation with related ministries related to digital sex crimes is necessary' and explained, "Consultations are currently progressing organically well."