The independent counsel team that probed an online opinion rigging scandal involving the blogger “druking” says South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo was involved in the opinion rigging in collusion with druking. 

The team, led by Huh Ik-bum, made the assessment as it revealed to reporters on Monday the results of its 60-day probe. 

The team said that Kim and the blogger colluded in the opinion rigging in which they manipulated one-point-18 million online comments with 88 million clicks using a computer program from December 2016 and February this year. 

The team said it referred a total of 12 people, including the governor, for trial. 

The team charged Kim of colluding with druking and his supporters in comment rigging activities and of violating the Public Official Election Act. 

The team concluded that Kim was briefed in detail from druking on data manipulation software called King Crab in November 2016 and then allowed the development and operation of the software after attending a demonstration of the computer program.