Parliament approves special counsel bill to probe cyber hacking scandal
By Kim Eun-jung
South Korean lawmakers passed Thursday a bill calling for a special probe into the October by-elections hacking scandal amid lingering suspicions that ruling party members were involved in the scheme.
The move came after the main opposition Democratic United Party last month submitted a bill to launch an investigation into the hacking of the national election watchdog's Web site.
It claimed the prosecution's probe was not enough to clear up suspicions over the hacking.
Prosecutors last month concluded that a former aide to former ruling party lawmaker Choi Ku-sik colluded with a former secretary for the National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae to mastermind the attack that paralyzed the National Election Commission's Web site for two hours.
While opposition lawmakers have raised suspicions that the cyber attack may have involved higher ranks in the ruling party, the prosecution team said no lawmakers were behind the hacking.
Two suspects and five other IT administrators have already been arrested and are also accused of attacking the Web site of then Seoul mayoral candidate Park Won-soon, a lawyer-turned-activist who beat his high-profile ruling party rival Na Kyung-won.
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