The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it is taking steps to reissue passports for all individuals who boarded Air Force One during President Lee Jae-myung's overseas tour, including the president and the first lady, following a controversy over the leak of their personal information.

The ministry added that it is currently "conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances of the leak in cooperation with relevant agencies, including the National Police Agency," and is "conducting a comprehensive and in-depth investigation, including technical inspections of PCs and emails related to the president's overseas tour in June."

Through Spokesperson Park Doo-soon, the ministry stated that it "views this matter with utmost gravity" and will "identify and analyze the cause of the leak through a thorough investigation" while taking "measures from various angles to prevent further damage and forestall the recurrence of similar cases."

Earlier, controversy erupted after it was revealed that a file containing the full list of 168 passengers who boarded Air Force One—presumed to be from President Lee's trip to the Group of Seven (G7) summit in June—along with their dates of birth and passport numbers, had been posted on a paid overseas security website for about five months.

(Photo: Yonhap News)