A South Korean military intelligence official was arrested for leaking personal information of the country’s overseas agents who were spying on North Korea. The breach was reported after the Korea Defense Intelligence Command discovered that classified information related to its agents stationed abroad had been leaked. This is not the first incident of sensitive information being leaked by the South’s military intelligence command. In 2018, an officer was found selling information about agents working undercover in China, and in 2017, 15 million pages of classified information leaked to North Korea after a hack of the Defense Integrated Data Center.
The suspect behind the latest incident allegedly provided information about the country’s “black agents” to a Chinese national of Korean descent. “Black agents” are the South’s undercover intelligence officials responsible for carrying out espionage activities overseas against North Korea. The suspect, who worked with the command’s overseas operations department, denied the allegations and claimed his computer was hacked. However, under the Military Secrets Protection Act in South Korea, transferring military secrets to a personal laptop is prohibited. The leaked information stored on the suspect’s personal computer was eventually leaked to a third party, causing some agents to stop their activities abroad and return home.
South Korea, along with Japan and the U.S., promoted trilateral cooperation to jointly respond to North Korea’s threat. Defense ministers from the three countries held their first trilateral ministerial meeting in Tokyo, where they announced the establishment of the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework. This framework institutionalized security cooperation among the three defense authorities, including information sharing. The incident of the leaked information comes at a crucial time when cooperation among these allies is essential in responding to the security challenges posed by North Korea.
The incident highlights the vulnerabilities in South Korea’s intelligence operations and the need for stronger measures to protect classified information. The leak of information related to agents working undercover in North Korea could jeopardize their safety and compromise ongoing espionage activities. The involvement of a Chinese national of Korean descent raises concerns about potential connections to North Korea’s intelligence services, which could further endanger South Korean agents operating in the region.
The leak of classified information underscores the ongoing threats posed by cyber intrusions and espionage activities by North Korea. The Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea’s primary foreign intelligence service, is known for its intelligence collection and clandestine operations targeting South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced in countering North Korea’s aggressive intelligence operations and the importance of enhancing security measures to safeguard sensitive information.
The South Korean government has not disclosed the full extent of the damage caused by the leaked information to its intelligence network. Some agents have reportedly halted their activities abroad and returned home, indicating the impact of the breach on ongoing espionage operations. The incident underscores the need for enhanced security protocols and stricter enforcement of laws governing the handling of military secrets to prevent future breaches and protect the safety of intelligence agents operating in high-risk environments.
