Seoul police summon Kim Kyu-hyun, former NIS chief, in election interference probe

Seoul police have summoned Kim Kyu-hyun, the former head of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), for questioning as a suspect in a probe into alleged efforts to influence the 2023 Gangseo-gu district mayor by-election. He appeared at the interrogation site with a stern expression and offered no comment to reporters as he was taken to the investigation room.

Authorities allege that Kim was involved in guiding the NIS’s decision to publicize that there were vulnerabilities in the National Election Commission’s vote-tallying system on the eve of the by-election, with the aim of shaping the election’s outcome.

In the weeks ahead of the by-election, the NIS publicly announced that hacking vulnerabilities had been found in the NEC’s counting system. The NEC rejected the idea that such issues could enable manipulation of the vote, while opposition parties argued that the disclosure represented election interference and possible fraud.

The probe traces back to October last year, when Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won, a former NIS official, filed a complaint based on tips, triggering an investigation. At the time, the NIS said no security issues existed, but the presidential office reportedly declined that finding, and a revised report was produced under Kim’s leadership.

The police say the actions—using the NIS to disclose security concerns before the vote and the pre-election announcement of results—could constitute abuse of power under the National Intelligence Service Act and a violation of the Public Official Election Act.

Police earlier raided the NIS and collected related materials, and the first formal summons signals that investigators are moving to speed up the case.

For international readers, the case highlights ongoing concerns about political influence over security agencies and the integrity of election infrastructure. It involves South Korea’s intelligence apparatus and a central voting system that underpins public trust in democracy. As a close U.S. ally with deep security and technology ties, Seoul’s handling of election security and any perception of interference has implications for U.S.-Korea cooperation on cyber defense, regional stability, and the reliability of technology supply chains linked to Korea’s advanced electronics sector.