Was Air Force One Personal Data Leaked During Transfer to Belgium?

[Anchor]

An investigation has been launched into the leak of personal information belonging to the presidential delegation, including President Lee Jae-myung and the first lady. Authorities believe the file containing personal information was leaked during its transfer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Belgian officials and are tracking the incident.

Reporter Kang Min-u reports.

[Reporter]

The data leak occurred when a file concerning the presidential delegation was uploaded to a paid website used to scan for malware.

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

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

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

The file was posted on the site just one day later, on June 2.

Believing that an issue occurred along this distribution channel, the government is focusing on pinpointing the exact breach point.

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

Yesterday (November 3) morning, Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting presided over by Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun to discuss a comprehensive overhaul of the security protocol system for presidential tours and formulate countermeasures.

Measures to reissue passports have begun for public officials, journalists, and others whose information was compromised, including the presidential couple, and police have transitioned the case from an internal inquiry into a formal criminal investigation.

(Video by Jeong Sang-bo and Yoon Hyeong | Video Editing by Jang Hyun-ki | Design by Park Cheon-woong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.