South Korea arrests official over alleged data leak exposing spies, reports

31/7/2024 11:46

        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 overseas, according to the defence ministry and media reports.
        
        The defence ministry confirmed in a text message sent to reporters on Tuesday that a military court had issued an arrest warrant for an official at the agency, though declined further comment as an investigation was ongoing.
        
        Media reports said the suspect, who works at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command (KDIC), was accused of leaking personal information on agents to a Chinese individual of Korean descent. The official was not identified and it was not immediately clear if they had been taken into custody.
        
        The leaked data stored on computers at KDIC was transferred to the official's personal laptop, before it was leaked, the Yonhap news agency reported, without citing sources.
        
        The information included a list of so-called "black agents", a term used in South Korea for non-official spies performing undercover espionage overseas, as opposed to "white agents" with official titles, Yonhap said.