This case touched off bitter criticism of NIS in south Korea.

Ri Chun Sok, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of south Korea, said that NIS is suspected of its involvement in the case, demanding a probe into the truth about the case.

Lawmaker from the Democratic Party Kim Tong Chol charged that "the incident is the result of Lee Myung Bak work style seeking success disregarding procedures. If NIS is proven to be involved in the case, its director should be fired at once", he urged.

The south Korean MBC said three agents of NIS secretly intruded into the hotel room to get a notebook computer only to be spotted by its owner and return it to him. They seemed to have committed a clumsy theft rather than performing a secret duty, it added.

MBC went on:

NIS consequently seriously hurt the state interests. It is unpredictable what backlash will be followed by this incident, to say nothing of the disgrace south Korea suffered before the world.

The Indonesian government on Feb. 21 urged the south Korean "government" to clarify the case.