Signs Presidential Delegation File Leaked via Contractor; Another Document Discovered

[Anchor]

We bring you newly reported details regarding the personal information leak involving the presidential delegation, including President Lee Jae-myung and his wife. Reporting indicates that government authorities have detected circumstances suggesting the file containing personal information may have been leaked through an outside contractor hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle security monitoring. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that another diplomatic document had also been uploaded to the website where the delegation file was found.

Kang Min-u reports exclusively.

[Reporter]

The leaked personal information file on the presidential delegation is understood to have been drafted by the Office of the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The government had previously been tracing the path of the file, suspecting an issue arose while it was being transmitted to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the South Korean Embassy to Belgium and the European Union.

According to SBS reporting, the government has detected evidence indicating that the file was leaked through an outside contractor responsible for security monitoring of the foreign ministry's internal networks.

The Diplomatic Cyber Security Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outsources the operation of security monitoring systems, surveillance, and malware analysis to specialized firms. Authorities suspect that the file in question may have been uploaded via this contractor to an overseas paid website used to scan for malware.

When asked by SBS about the specific circumstances, the contractor stated, "It is difficult to respond because the matter is currently under investigation."

Earlier, police launched a formal investigation into the case on allegations of violating the Personal Information Protection Act.

On November 4, records confirmed that another diplomatic document had been registered on the malware-scanning website where the presidential delegation file was found.

The file, uploaded eight months ago in March, is presumed to be a document requesting a bilateral meeting between the Republic of Korea and the International Court of Justice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently investigating the origin of the document.

If it is ultimately confirmed that this leak occurred through the contractor handling cyber security monitoring, an expansion of the investigation appears inevitable to determine whether additional leaks have occurred.

(Reported by Cho Choon-dong and Choi Dae-woong | Video by Jang Hyeon-gi | Graphics by Park Cheon-woong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.