A recent investigation has revealed that a South Korean Navy soldier sold classified information related to joint military exercises between South Korea, the United States, and Australia to China for approximately 55,000 yuan (about $8,000).
This discovery follows reports that a current Army colonel is under investigation by the Defense Security Command (DSC) for allegedly leaking information regarding new unmanned surface vehicles. These incidents have raised serious concerns about the overall security awareness within the South Korean military.
According to Chosun Ilbo, citing a military court ruling obtained by Representative Kang Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party in South Korea on August 14, Navy soldier “A” was sentenced to one year in prison last month for violating the Military Criminal Act by leaking military secrets. “B,” who assisted “A,” had already been discharged and is currently facing trial in a civilian court.
In November 2023, “A” secretly removed documents, including translated pages of a U.S. military manual, details about the “Haedori-Wallaby” joint exercise between South Korea and Australia, and information on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) exercises with the United States.
“A” concealed the documents in a military backpack and photographed them before sending the images via an instant messenger KakaoTalk to Navy soldier “B.” “B” then forwarded the materials to a Chinese contact through WeChat and Telegram in five separate instances. In return, A and B received a total of 55,000 yuan across three payments.
A military official stated, “If this information had reached China, they could have preemptively deployed surveillance assets based on our exercise plans.”
The military court in its first ruling highlighted that the exposure of the translated U.S. military manuals and the disclosure of the Navy’s strategies and tactics could have had significant consequences. The court also noted that the Chinese individual who obtained the information from the Navy soldier is likely part of a group systematically collecting South Korean military data with malicious intent.
It was revealed that before enlisting, “A” had attended a school in Guangzhou, China, where they may have established contact with Chinese individuals. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether this Chinese individual has any connections to North Korea.
Meanwhile, the Defense Security Command is reportedly investigating Professor “C,” a Navy Academy instructor and active-duty colonel, on suspicion of leaking classified information related to new unmanned surface vehicles. “C” is alleged to have disclosed confidential details, including the “Unmanned Surface Vehicle Operational Concept,” to a specific defense contractor. Such operational concepts could serve as a “blueprint” for defense contractors in future design projects.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
