An internal probe at South Korea's intelligence agency has revealed that some of its operatives attempted to influence the outcome of the 2012 presidential election.
The investigation team has announced that the National Intelligence Service operated up to 30 cells aimed at manipulating public opinion in the run-up to the vote.
The spotlight has fallen on Won Sei-hoon , the agency's director from 2009 to 2013, who is already on trial for allegedly masterminding a smear campaign, in favor of then-presidential candidate Park Geun-hye.
The probe also revealed that NIS operatives had meddled in the 2011 and 2012 parliamentary elections while placing opposition candidates under illegal surveillance.