[Exclusive] Shocking Testimony of a Senior NIS official: NIS Under Moon Bought a Villa, Yacht in Preparation for Kim Jong-un’s Potential Visit

September 2022 Issue, Choi Woo-seok, Chosun Monthly [TRANSLATION]

⊙ “Around June 2019, the NIS bought a ₩1,600,000,000 (~$1.37 million) villa in Paju, where his party would stay during his reciprocal visit”

⊙ “NIS instructed to buy the ‘villa’ that belongs to a close associate of former NIS Director Seo Hoon, even the lot number was provided”

⊙ “The table in the villa cost ₩60,000,000 (~$51,000)”

⊙ “Also bought a yacht worth ₩600,000,000 to 700,000,000 (~$513,000 to 598,000)…anchored in Songdo, Incheon”

⊙ “Earmarked ₩22,000,000,000 (~$18.8 million) to build a banquet hall and accommodations on Jeju Island”

⊙  “Decided to Expose after the Moon Jae-in regime offered people’s lives [the 2 fishermen defectors and the ROK fishery official] as a sacrifice to achieve Kim Jong-un’s reciprocal visit, then denied it”

The testimony of a former high-ranking NIS official surfaced.  He was in a position to see how much effort the Moon Jae-in administration put in to bring about Kim Jong-un’s reciprocal visit.  Mr. A, a former high-ranking NIS official, met with a reporter and said, “Around June 2019, under the direction of the former NIS Director Choi’s close associate (NIS cadre), [NIS] purchased a villa for ₩1.6 billion ($1.37 million) to be used by [North Korean] working level officials, in case Kim Jong-un made a reciprocal visit.” He said, “The former NIS Director Choi’s close associate even informed us of the property lot number and instructed us to purchase said building.”

At the time the NIS under Moon Jae-in purchased the villa (June 2019), the Blue House had also prepared in case of Kim Jong-un’s reciprocal visit. Former Blue House Chief of Presidential Protocol Tak Hyun-min said on CBS Radio’s “Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show” on May 21, 2019, “We have already made a lot of preparations because we talked very specifically last time that (Kim Jong-un) was likely to come,” and that “we have done a lot of preparation for various

scenarios.”

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The villa that the NIS bought was in Paju.  Although the building is listed in the property register as 2-stories, it was 3-stories.  It indicated the building was renovated illegally.

Mr. A said, “The market price of the villa purchased ranged from ₩600 million to 800 million (~$513,000 to $684,000), but in reality it was bought for ₩1.6 billion ($1.37 million)” and “suspicions circulated inside the NIS that the building owner was related to a close associate of former director Seo.”

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₩1.6 billion ($1.37 million) villa and ₩60 million ($51,000) table

Mr. A’s testimony continued. [NIS] also bought a table to place in the living room of the W1.6 billion Paju villa.  The table was a whopping ₩60 million ($51,000).   In 2017, multiple tables set next to each other in the conference room of a floor leader of a political party was criticized for being [too expensive] at about ₩10 million ($8,500).

The table that the NIS bought for Kim Jong-un’s party with the taxpayers’ money was 6 times more than the price of the tables in the conference room of the floor leader of a political party in Korea, which was criticized for being too expensive.

“The high-ranking NIS official, who is a close associate of former Director Seo, himself also directly instructed [NIS working level officials] to buy that specific table.  Many (NIS) employees questioned “Must they buy such a super-expensive table that was close to 1-year’s worth of salary for an ordinary worker?”

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On November 10, 2020, Kim Jong-un took off his glasses and wiped tears as he gave a speech exhorting people to overcome disasters on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. As he did this, his left sleeve was slightly lifted, and a golden curved watch frame flashed; it was a “Portofino Automatic” product from IWC, a Swiss company. This watch is worth 11,700 Swiss francs (about ₩14.5 million) (~$12,000).

Bought a Yacht too

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The NIS under the Moon Jae-in regime also purchased a yacht worth ₩600 million to ₩700 million (~$513,000 to 598,000) in preparation for Kim Jong-un’s reciprocal visit. Mr. A said, “[NIS] bought a used yacht for a sea tour of the Kim entourage, including Kim Yong Chol (김영철).”  The yacht is moored in Songdo, Incheon. It is said that the NIS holds it “for employee training.” It is known that it costs between W40 million and W50 million per year in maintenance expenses. As is well known, Kim Jong-un loves yachts. Kim Jong-un has at least 4 luxury yachts. One of them appeared in February 2022 off the coast of Wonsan, Gangwon, where Kim Jong-un’s villa is located.

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Kim Jong-un is also known to have owned the 95MY model of the “Princess Yacht,” which costs about ₩8,000,000,000 (~$6.8 million). North Korea has been restricted since 2006 by the United Nations sanctions on the import of luxury goods, such as yachts, jewelry and luxury cars, along with weapons. It is not very likely that Kim Jong-un would have purchased the yacht through normal channels.
Jeju Island’s relationship with Kim Jong-un

The NIS under the Moon regime reportedly tried to get Kim Jong-un to tour Paju, Goseong (Gangwon-do) and Jeju Island, if he visited South Korea. Mr. A said, “During the [anticipated] visit [of Kim Jong-un] to South Korea, [the Moon administration] had seriously considered the possibility of holding talks on Jeju Island,” and “We have set aside ₩22 billion (~$18.8 million) for the cost of building a banquet hall and accommodation in Jeju Island. However, as Kim Jong-un’s visit to South Korea foundered, [the plan] fizzled.” He added, “[the NIS] also planned to spend about ₩5 billion ($4.3 million) in Goseong to build or buy a new place where Kim Jong-un’s party could stay.” In fact, Kim Jong-un has a special relationship with Jeju Island. It is highly likely that this reason also played a part in the serious consideration of Jeju Island as the venue for the talks.

In January 2014, the Chosun Ilbo reported that the graves of Kim Jong-un’s maternal grandfather Ko Kyung-taek (高京澤) (his “heochong” was buried, so his body is not buried there) and his great-great-grandfather Ko Yong-ok (高永玉) were set up in Bongkai-dong, Jeju City, Jeju Island. Inscribed on the headstone of the tomb of Ko Kyung-taek, ‘Born in 1913, he moved to Japan in 1929. In 1999, he returned home and passed away in BongAreum (the Jeju dialect of Bongkai-dong). Due to circumstances, a grave is made (without his body).  The names of his father, Ko Yong-ok, and his six sons, were also engraved together.

After Ko Kyung-taek’s birth in 1913 and before moving to Japan, his hometown was North BukChon-ri, Jocheon Town, Jeju City, Jeju Island. A native of Jeju Island, Ko Kyung-taek went to Japan in 1929. His daughter, Ko Yong-hee (고용희) [Kim Jong-un’s mother], was born in Osaka in 1953, but in 1961, she followed her father to North Korea when her father, Ko Kyung-taek, was arrested and deported by the Japanese police on suspicion of human trafficking. According to Kato Ken, the representative of Japan’s North Korean human rights organization Asian Human Rights, Ko Kyung-taek hid his past and worked in a chemical factory, while Ko Yong-hee was a dancer in the Mansudae Art Troupe, and she was noticed by Kim Jong-il. Then she gave birth to Kim Jong-chul, Kim Jong-un and daughter Kim Yo-jong.  However, they did not receive the approval of Kim Il Sung. It is for this reason that Kim Jong-un does not have a single photo of himself with his [paternal] grandfather.

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The reason for his decision to expose

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Mr. A’s answer was simple. “Because of the ‘forced repatriation of defector fishermen’ incident that took place in November 2019.”

He became indignant and exposed [the above], because the Moon Jae-in regime forcibly repatriated the defector fishermen to North Korea in a kind of “sign of sincerity” in order to accomplish Kim Jong-un’s visit.

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NIS Staff “thought (forced repatriation) was a problem”

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In fact, Mr. B, a former NIS employee who was active in the North Korea department at the time, said, “I thought (the forced repatriation) was a problem at the time, and I still think so,” adding, “As the prosecutor’s investigation is ongoing, what happened will be revealed.” Mr. B, who worked in the North Korea Department, left the NIS the following year after the forced repatriation [of the two defectors]. Mr. B reportedly resisted against the directive from “above” on forced repatriation at the time.

“A lot of the employees at (the NIS) are working really hard for the country,” said Mr. B. “It’s so unfortunate that only these things became known to the public. In the future, I hope that the intelligence community will not be swept up in politics.”

Former President Moon Jae-in sent Kim Jong Un an invitation letter to the ROK-ASEAN Special Summit on November 5, 2019. However, on that very day, the [Moon] government notified North Korea in writing that it would deport 2 North Korean defectors who had crossed into the East Sea.  The “Kim Jong-un Invitation” was sent together with “a Sending the Fishermen to the North document.”  When the North said “send [them]” on the 6th, [the Moon regime] immediately repatriated them on the 7th. The North Korean fishermen announced their intention to defect to our side, but they were taken to Panmunjom bound by ropes and with their eyes covered. They slumped down the moment they saw the North Korean soldiers.

One of them slammed his head on the ground at Panmunjom to the point where there was a ‘thump thump’ sound. The government officials, including the police commandos of the Moon Jae-in regime, panicked and shouted “Hey, hey, hey” and “Subdue [him]” and tried to make the fisherman stand up [so he can walk across to North Korea]. Eventually, the fisherman was surrounded by those who escorted him [to Panmunjom], dragged forward as if crawling on his knees, and handed over to the North Korean military across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Those taken to North Korea were reportedly executed.

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Source: https://m.monthly.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?ctcd=A&nNewsNumb=202209100012