South Korea investigates potential North Korean connection in intelligence leak

A civilian employee from South Korea’s military intelligence command has been arrested for allegedly leaking sensitive military information in a significant breach of national security.

A civilian employee of South Korea's military intelligence command has been arrested on charges of leaking classified information, according to the Defense Ministry, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Local media reports suggest the leaked data may pertain to South Korean intelligence operations abroad and might have been sent to North Korea.

The Defense Ministry issued a brief statement confirming that a military court had authorized the arrest of the employee from the Korea Defense Intelligence Command. The statement emphasized that further details about the nature of the leaks and the ongoing investigation will not be disclosed at this time.

South Korean media reports indicate that the detained employee allegedly provided a Chinese national with thousands of confidential documents, including sensitive details about the intelligence command’s network of agents operating abroad. These documents reportedly contained the real names, ages, and locations of undercover operatives, many of whom are working under false identities and occupations. The reason behind the employee's decision to transfer this information to the Chinese national remains unclear.

Experts suggest that South Korea's intelligence command has a long history of deploying agents to China and other countries to establish networks of informants with connections to North Korea or to directly engage with North Korean expatriates. The military intelligence command, a key agency in South Korea's efforts to monitor North Korea, operates alongside the National Intelligence Service, the country's largest spy agency.

Yonhap News Agency reported that military investigators have found indications that the leaked information might have been intended for North Korea. There is speculation that the Chinese national involved, who is of Korean descent, may have been an informant for North Korea’s intelligence agency.

If these sensitive military secrets were indeed passed to North Korea, it could represent a severe blow to South Korea's intelligence-gathering operations abroad and jeopardize the safety of South Korean agents working overseas, experts warn.

During a closed-door briefing for lawmakers on Tuesday, the Korea Defense Intelligence Command revealed that it has recalled officials stationed abroad and imposed a temporary ban on overseas travel for other personnel. Lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun confirmed these measures.

Lawmaker Park Sunwon reported that the military’s counterespionage authorities will be conducting an investigation into the arrested employee, with the process expected to last several months. The employee has claimed that his laptop was hacked, but the intelligence command has asserted that the leak was not due to hacking.

The situation unfolds amid ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The two Koreas remain divided by the world's most heavily fortified border since the Korean War's end in 1953, with recent years seeing increased hostilities. North Korea has continued its provocative missile tests, while South Korea has expanded its military exercises with the U.S., escalating the cycle of confrontation.