Former National Intelligence Service Vice Administrator Baek Jong-wook said during the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 11th, "(The results of the security inspection from the National Intelligence Service) indicate that the work network cannot be accessed from the internet, which is referred to as 'network separation,' but there was a connection point between the work network and the election network," adding that "because there was a consolidation pathway, the network separation was not completely achieved, and from the hacker's perspective, the networks could be seen as connected."
The Constitutional Court conducted witness examination of Baek, the former Vice Administrator, who carried out cyber security work for domestic public institutions during President Yoon's impeachment trial on that afternoon. He explained, "The National Election Commission claims that vulnerabilities were discovered because we provided the information required by the National Intelligence Service, but the materials we receive contain content that is applied simultaneously when inspecting all agencies," noting that "this does not create vulnerabilities that did not previously exist."
However, he noted, "We could only see 5% of the (system). There were no signs of intrusion within the 5% inspected." He implied that while there is a possibility of external intrusion into the election network, no signs of intrusion were detected during the security inspection process.
The National Assembly raised questions regarding the security inspection process, mentioning that Baek had applied for a proportional representation position with 'People's Future,' a satellite party of the ruling People Power Party, during the 22nd National Assembly election held last year.
The National Assembly said, "The National Election Commission granted the National Intelligence Service access to all 6,400 computer equipment, including servers, for performing security consulting. However, the National Intelligence Service selected around 310 devices (5%), primarily focusing on major computer equipment related to the election system, to conduct the inspection." In response, Baek noted, "We wanted to conduct more inspections, but there were constraints that prevented us from doing so."