Air Force One Passenger Data Leaked During Transfer to Belgium?

[Anchor]

An investigation has been launched into a leak of personal information belonging to the presidential delegation, including President Lee Jae-myung and the First Lady. Authorities believe the file containing the personal information was leaked in the process of being transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Belgian authorities, and are currently tracking the source.

Kang Min-u reports.

[Reporter]

The personal data leak occurred when a file on the presidential delegation was uploaded to a paid website used to scan for malicious code.

The file contained the dates of birth and passport numbers of 168 passengers aboard Air Force One, including President Lee Jae-myung, First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, and senior government officials.

This file was prepared for immigration entry procedures for personnel traveling aboard Air Force One from Seoul to Brussels, Belgium, during a European tour for the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in June.

According to reporting by SBS, the South Korean government believes that the file, drafted on June 1 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Office of the Chief of Protocol, was transmitted to the South Korean Embassy to Belgium and the European Union via an internal network, and was then sent to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the internet.

The file was uploaded to the website just one day later, on June 2.

Believing that a problem occurred along this distribution path, the government is focusing on pinpointing where the leak took place.

[Park Doo-soon / Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson: As soon as the leak was confirmed, we requested an investigation from the relevant authorities. Currently, an investigation is underway in cooperation with relevant agencies, including the National Police Agency, to determine the circumstances of the leak.]

Yesterday (November 3) morning, Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting chaired by Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Gwang-hyun to discuss a comprehensive review of the security management system for presidential tours and the direction of future countermeasures.

Measures to reissue passports for the president and first lady, as well as public officials and journalists whose data was leaked, have begun, and the police have transitioned this case from an internal inquiry into a formal investigation.

Video by Jeong Sang-bo and Yoon Hyeong | Video Editing by Jang Hyeon-gi | Graphics by Park Cheon-woong
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.