South Korea Arrests Intelligence Official Who Leaked Secret Spy Data

UNSPLASH/TOWfiqu barbhuiya ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for an official at the country's military intelligence command for allegedly leaking classified data identifying agents working abroad.

The Defense Ministry confirmed in a text message sent to reporters on Tuesday, July 30, that a military court had issued an arrest warrant for an official at the agency.

As reported by Reuters, Wednesday, July 31, media reports said the suspect, who worked at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command (KDIC), is suspected of leaking personal information of agents to individuals in China of Korean descent.

The official was not identified, and there was no information about his detention.

The leaked data stored on a computer at KDIC was transferred to the official's personal laptop before being leaked, Yonhap news agency reported, without citing sources.

The information included a list of so-called "black agents," a term used in South Korea for unofficial spies who conduct covert espionage abroad, as opposed to "white agents" with official titles, Yonhap said.

The official denied the leak and said the laptop was hacked.

Yonhap said authorities fear the data may have been passed to North Korea.

Lawmakers briefed by military intelligence officials said the leak was not the result of a hack and was first discovered in June.

“Overseas staff were immediately ordered to be recalled,” lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, who sits on the intelligence committee, told reporters.

Authorities are investigating potential violations of the military criminal code as well as the National Security Act and treason, lawmakers said.

The intelligence committee is deeply concerned about the events at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the country's spy agency, lawmaker Park Sun-won said.

The case follows the arrest of a former White House official in the US who was accused of being a South Korean agent.

Sue Mi Terry, who supports South Korea's policy positions and has worked for the CIA and the White House's National Security Council (NSC), was charged with allegedly working as an unregistered agent of the South Korean government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts. Her lawyer said his client denies the charges.