A civilian employee at the Defense Intelligence Command who handed over military secrets, including the list and personal details of the Army's "black agents" who operate under disguised identities, in exchange for 160 million won from Chinese intelligence authorities, has received a finalized sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Supreme Court's Third Division (presiding Justice Lee Heung-gu) said on the 20th that on the 11th it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing A, 51, a civilian team leader in operations at the Defense Intelligence Command indicted on charges including general espionage, violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery), and violating the Protection of Military Secrets Act, to 20 years in prison and a fine of 1 billion won.
A had worked as a civilian employee at the Defense Intelligence Command since the mid-2000s. In Apr. 2017, during a visit to China, A was recruited by a Chinese intelligence officer of Korean Chinese ethnicity.
From June 2022 to 2024, A leaked a total of 30 items of information to Chinese intelligence authorities, including 12 documents and 18 voice messages. The information contained military secrets such as the list of black agents, the Defense Intelligence Command's organizational structure, and operational plans.
A used an in-game voice message function to demand money from the Chinese intelligence officer and received 162.05 million won through an account under another person's name.
The Court-martial in the first trial sentenced A to 20 years in prison, a fine of 1.2 billion won, and the forfeiture of 162.05 million won. In the second trial, the 20-year prison term was maintained, but the fine was reduced to 1 billion won, saying some of the bribery demands were double-counted. The forfeiture remained the same.
The appellate court said, "Even while fully aware that exposing the personal information of black agents could inflict great harm, the crime was committed, effectively making a transaction of colleagues' lives," and added, "It could bring serious harm to national security or military interests and cannot be justified by any excuse."
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, saying, "It cannot be seen as grossly unjust that the lower court sentenced the defendant to 20 years in prison, among other penalties."