Active Duty Officer Recruited by North Korea, Military Secrets Also Leaked

On the morning of the 1st, the guard post mark at the main gate of the Military Security Support Command in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province was changed from the old Armed Forces Security Command mark to the current mark. /Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been confirmed that an active-duty officer leaked military secrets under the orders of North Korean hackers. This is the first case of an active-duty soldier being recruited by North Korean hackers on espionage charges.

According to the Military Security Support Command on the 28th, Captain A, after commissioning as an officer, came into contact with a North Korean hacker around March 2020 through an introduction by a university classmate (a civilian) and was recruited for economic gain. In November last year, under the orders of the North Korean hacker, Captain A photographed military secrets and materials such as the 'Defense Network Army Homepage Screen' and 'Army Security Rules' and sent them via the Telegram messenger. In return, he received cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) worth about 48 million KRW. Captain A used the Bitcoin received from the North Korean hacker to purchase a mobile phone and a laptop for data transmission, and it was revealed that he brought in and used a wristwatch-type hidden camera sent by Mr. B inside the military base.

In January this year, Captain A, in connection with civilian Mr. B, attempted to assist in hacking the military battlefield network Korean Joint Command and Control System (KJCCS) by photographing and transmitting login data. The Security Support Command explained that on the 2nd of this month, they secured related evidence through a search and seizure of Captain A, and after transfer, the case was prosecuted following supplementary investigation by the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office.

The Security Support Command investigated Captain A on charges including violation of the National Security Act (for the purpose of execution) and transferred him to the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office on the 15th. The regular prosecution department of the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office secured additional statements regarding the details and circumstances of the crime through supplementary investigation of Captain A and on this day Captain A...

The Security Support Command stated, "If the battlefield network had been hacked, a large amount of military secrets could have been leaked, causing serious risks to national security, but through organic cooperative investigation with the police, we were able to prevent this in advance." They added, "Going forward, the Security Support Command and the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office will strictly respond to crimes threatening national security through close cooperation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.