The Democratic Party Proposes the 'Park Ji-won Prevention Act'... "Prohibiting Secret Disclosure via SNS, etc."

The Democratic Party Proposes the 'Park Ji-won Prevention Act'... "Prohibiting Secret Disclosure via SNS, etc."

Park Ji-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the full meeting of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 10th, Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party, officially proposed a partial amendment to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Staff Act to specify the scope of secret disclosure acts by current and former NIS employees and to strengthen penalties for violations.

This so-called "Park Ji-won Prevention Act" targets former NIS Director Park Ji-won, a member of the Democratic Party, who recently sparked controversy by mentioning the "NIS X-Files" through SNS and radio appearances.

Seventeen ruling party lawmakers, including Ha Tae-kyung, head of the People Power Party's "West Sea Attack Incident Truth Investigation Task Force," joined as co-sponsors.

The amendment clarifies that current and former NIS employees are prohibited from disclosing secrets through SNS, media, and communication channels, and specifies the scope of secret disclosure. It includes provisions to strengthen penalties by revising fines to align with the standards suggested by the National Assembly Secretariat's legislative regulations and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's recommendations, imposing a fine of 10 million KRW per year of imprisonment.

Currently, under the NIS Staff Act, current and former employees who disclose secrets learned through their duties face imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

Targeting former Director Park, Representative Shin said, "There have been cases where recently retired senior officials openly disclosed information learned during their tenure through broadcast appearances, raising concerns about the possibility of leaking state secrets and the need to strengthen penalties for violations of confidentiality obligations."

He added, "To prevent irresponsible secret disclosures by retired senior officials that shake the identity of the NIS from happening again, it is appropriate to specify the content of 'disclosure acts' and to adjust the excessively low fines relative to the sentences to a realistic level."

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