Seoul: A military intelligence official received a 20-year prison sentence on Tuesday for charges related to leaking sensitive information about South Korean military undercover agents operating overseas. The sentencing follows allegations that the official, a 45-year-old civilian employee at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command, provided personal details of these agents to a suspected Chinese operative in exchange for bribes.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the official was indicted in August last year for leaking the personal information of what are referred to as "black agents." The court martial imposed a 20-year prison term, a fine of 1.2 billion won (approximately US$833,391), and ordered the forfeiture of 162 million won that the official received for the classified data.
The court martial stated that the leaked military secrets posed a significant threat to the safety and freedom of the intelligence agents, as the disclosure rendered the time and effort spent on intelligence gathering ineffective. The court dismissed the official's defense, which claimed coercion due to threats against his family, citing a lack of evidence.
Military prosecutors revealed that the official allegedly met the suspected Chinese agent following his arrest at a Chinese airport in 2017. The official reportedly leaked information in 30 instances using documents and voice messages. Prosecutors further concluded that he actively pursued financial compensation, requesting approximately 400 million won across 40 different occasions.