Man in His 40s Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Gathering Intelligence Under North Korean Operative's Orders

A man in his 40s has been sentenced to prison for collecting information on North Korean defectors and active-duty South Korean soldiers under instructions from a North Korean operative.

The Seoul Central District Court's 21st Criminal Division, presided over by Senior Judge Cho Soon-pyo, sentenced 43-year-old A, who was indicted on charges including espionage under the National Security Act, to five years in prison and five years of suspension of qualifications.

According to the investigation, A, who ran a cryptocurrency investment company, received instructions through Telegram in May and June 2021 from a North Korean operative to approach anti-North Korean defectors and figure out their personal details and activities.

Around that time, A received cryptocurrency worth approximately 660 million won from the operative as operating funds for his cryptocurrency investment business.

Subsequently, A approached B, the representative of a North Korean defector organization, under the guise of wanting to make a donation, asked B to create a cryptocurrency wallet, and forwarded the created wallet address to the North Korean operative.

After the operative transferred 1 million won worth of Bitcoin under the pretext of a donation, A used this as leverage to obtain videos and photos of the organization's anti-North Korean leaflet distribution event from B.

A also contacted a defector-turned-YouTuber who formerly worked for the North Korea State Security Department via email, writing, "I usually have a lot of interest in North Korean human rights issues. If you have time, I would like to have a drink and chat comfortably," thereby acquiring the person's mobile phone number.

The investigation showed that in July 2021, A received another directive from the North Korean operative containing personal information such as the names, assigned military units, and resident registration numbers of seven active-duty officers, along with instructions to "verify additional information and recruit them."

Among them, A accessed the social media account of Captain C to secure photos of C in uniform and a face photo, and commissioned a private detective agency, claiming, "My daughter is seeing someone, and I want to know about his background with women."

The private detective agency, which received 2.5 million won worth of Bitcoin from A as a commission fee, tracked down and reported Captain C's military unit, official quarters, residence room number, schedule, and movements.

Furthermore, between August and September of that year, A contacted another military officer via Telegram and offered money in exchange for information such as the military organization chart, but the offer was rejected.

The court ruled that A's actions ultimately constituted probing and collecting national secrets under the orders of a North Korean operative, violating the National Security Act.

The court pointed out, "The photographs, contact information, and activities of defectors engaged in anti-North Korea activities hold substantial value worthy of protection as secrets, because if such information is leaked to North Korea, it can be used to track or harm those defectors or retaliate against their families remaining in the North."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.