SEOUL, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- South Korea's state prosecutors raided the country's spy agency Friday for its alleged involvement in a wiretapping scandal.
The 30-strong team, composed of prosecutors and computer specialists, was sent to the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service in southern Seoul.
Prosecution received a search warrant for the action from a Seoul court Thursday night, marking the first time the nation's law-enforcement authorities rummaged to the top of the intelligence agency.
Investigators said they would confiscate any material that may provide clues to shed light on related allegations.
The intelligence agency has come under fire for illegally wiretapping private telephone calls to bug conversations of politicians and businessmen for political purposes.
The wiretapping scandal, spread fears that politicians, businessmen and journalists may be bugged.
Earlier this month, NIS chief Kim Seung-kyu admitted his agency conducted illegal bugging until early 2002 when former President Kim Dae-jung was in office and offered a public apology.
Kim said there was no illicit wiretapping under President Roh Moo-hyun who was inaugurated in early 2003, but the opposition called for special prosecutor's investigation.
The bugging scandal erupted in late July when local TV network MBC reported a 90-minute taped conversation in 1997 between an executive of Samsung Group, and Hong Seok-hyun, then publisher of the daily JoongAng Ilbo, where they discussed how to distribute political slush funds to presidential candidates.
Hong, who was named South Korea's ambassador to the United States in February, resigned from the post, after the scandal swept the country.
