S. Korea spy agency admits attempting to rig presidential election

SEOUL - South Korea's spy agency admitted on Thursday that it had engaged in a far-reaching attempt to manipulate voters as it sought to help conservatives win parliamentary and presidential elections.

In-house investigators from the National Intelligence Service confirmed the agency's cyber warfare unit organized and operated up to 30 teams for more than two years in the run-up to the 2012 elections, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.

They hired internet-savvy civilians and sought to sway voter opinions through postings on portals and Twitter.