SEOUL: A South Korean Army sergeant has had a four-year prison term upheld for selling classified materials, including documents on South Korea-US combined military exercises, to a Chinese intelligence organisation.
Legal sources said Friday (Sept 18) that the Supreme Court’s Second Division upheld an August ruling by the Seoul High Court, which also included a 20 million won (US$14,500) fine and a 19.07 million won forfeiture.
The soldier, who was an active-duty sergeant at the time of the offenses, had been in contact with an unidentified Chinese national he met on social media. The two later met in Beijing in August 2024.
The Chinese national claimed to be affiliated with a Chinese intelligence agency and asked the soldier to provide nonpublic military materials.
Between August 2024 and February 2025, he leaked military secrets on seven occasions and received about 17.26 million won in return.
The materials included information related to the United Nations Command, Korean military exercises and South Korea-US combined exercises.
Investigators also found that the Chinese contact provided the soldier with a wristwatch camera after he said it was difficult to photograph classified materials with an iPhone.
The soldier used the device to record the materials.
He was indicted on charges including aiding the enemy, disclosing military secrets, accepting a bribe after an improper act and violating the Information and Communications Network Act.
The soldier argued that he had not intended to benefit an enemy, but the appeals court rejected the claim.
“The facts established in the case prove that the defendant leaked military secrets to a Chinese intelligence organisation through the unidentified individual,” the court said.
“The defendant, as an active-duty service member, committed the offenses after receiving security training and was well aware that military secrets must not be disclosed outside the military, making his culpability grave,” it added. - The Korea Herald/ANN
