South Korea’s Intelligence Service Officially Apologizes To Artists Affected By Their Covert “Blacklist” Operation Under Former President

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has issued a formal apology and dropped its appeal in the long-running case over the notorious “cultural blacklist,” a secret campaign under the Lee Myung Bak administration that targeted artists critical of the government.

On November 7, KST, NIS released a formal statement, recognizing the Seoul High Court’s ruling from October 17, and issuing a written apology to “those who suffered material and emotional harm” due to the case.

The case in question refers to the damages lawsuit filed by 36 plaintiffs, including actor Moon Sung Keun and broadcaster Kim Mi Hwa, against former President Lee Myung Bak and former NIS director Won Sei Hoon in November 2017, claiming that they suddered psychological and financial harm after being put on the “Blacklist” created and managed by the NIS to exclude certain artists from public platforms during the Lee Myung Bak administration.

According to reports, a total of 82 individuals were put on the blacklist, including Lee Oi Soo, Jo Jung Rae, Jin Jung Kwon, Moon Sung Keun, Myung Kye Nam, Kim Min Sun, Lee Chang Dong, Park Chan Wook, Bong Joon Ho, Kim Mi Hwa, Kim Gu Ra, and many other significant figures in the field of art and culture for the crime of opposing government policies.

The initial trial ruled that former President Lee Myung-bak and the ex-NIS chief were liable for compensation but denied state responsibility, citing that the statute of limitations had expired. However, the recent high court ruling reversed that aspect and ordered the state to pay ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,430 USD) each to each plaintiff.

In the recently-released NIS statement, the agency wrote, “With this decision to forgo the appeal, we hope that the suffering of the affected artists may be eased even a little, and we sincerely apologize to those who have suffered material and psychological harm, as well as to the public.” They concluded by revealing the agency’s intention to take corrective measures and regain the public’s trust through tangible actions.

We will once again thoroughly reflect on the mistakes of misusing and abusing the authority entrusted to us by the people, and we will strive to become a National Intelligence Service that the public can trust…To ensure that such incidents do not recur, irreversible measures have been taken, including the abolition of the domestic intelligence division in 2017, the deletion of domestic security information in 2020, and revisions to the NIS Act prohibiting the establishment of organizations with potential for political interference.

— NIS