Soldier Sentenced to Prison for Leaking Military Secrets to China

A prison sentence has been finalized for an Army soldier indicted for leaking military secrets, including materials from South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, to a Chinese intelligence organization.

The Supreme Court finalized the lower court's ruling sentencing the defendant, identified as A, who was indicted on charges of aiding the enemy and leaking military secrets, to four years in prison, a fine of 20 million won, and the forfeiture of 19.07 million won.

A, who was an Army sergeant at the time, communicated with an unidentified Chinese individual met via social media and met him in Beijing, China, in August 2024.

A accepted an offer from the individual, who claimed to be a representative of a Chinese intelligence agency, to provide non-public military materials.

A was sent to trial on charges of leaking military secrets—such as materials related to South Korea-U.S. joint exercises, United Nations Command documents, and South Korean military unilateral training data—a total of seven times from around that period until February of the following year, receiving approximately 17.26 million won in return.

Investigations revealed that after complaining to the other party about the difficulty of photographing military secrets using an iPhone, A received a wristwatch-style camera and used it to capture military secrets.

A, who was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial held at a military court, received a sentence of four years in prison, a fine of 20 million won, and the forfeiture of 19.07 million won in the second trial.

A argued that there was no intent to aid the enemy, but this was not accepted.

The appellate court stated, "Although there is no direct evidence that the Chinese person who recruited and gave directives to the defendant was a member of a Chinese intelligence organization, the established facts prove that the defendant leaked military secrets to a Chinese intelligence organization through the unidentified person."

The court also pointed out, "As an active-duty soldier who received security training and was well aware that military secrets must not be leaked to the outside, the defendant committed a crime of grave culpability," adding, "The nature of the crime is also severe as it was carried out in an organized and meticulous manner."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Kihyun | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.