Discussion on Expanding 'Espionage Charges'... Ministry of National Defense Says "Leak of Classified Information Must Be Strictly Punished"

Discussion on Criminal Law Amendment Bill in the National Assembly

Regardless of party affiliation, as a bill to expand the scope of espionage charges from "enemy states" to "foreign countries" is being discussed, the Ministry of National Defense has also expressed the need for strict punishment for the leakage of national secrets.

Jeon Ha-gyu, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense. Yonhap News Agency

At a regular briefing on the 3rd, Jeon Ha-gyu, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, was asked about the military's stance on the revision of espionage charges. He stated, "The leakage of national secrets is a very serious matter that causes significant harm to national security," and added, "The laws should be supplemented to allow for stricter punishment."

Spokesperson Jeon also referred to recent incidents such as Chinese international students illegally filming a U.S. aircraft carrier with drones in Busan, and a civilian employee of the Republic of Korea Army Intelligence Command leaking personal information of military intelligence agents to China, pointing out that "there were various limitations."

Article 98 of the current Criminal Act, which defines "espionage charges," limits its application to "enemy states." For Korea, this practically means only North Korea. The problem is that espionage acts against foreign countries such as China cannot be punished.

The bill to expand the scope of espionage charges to foreign countries has passed the subcommittee of the relevant standing committee. The ruling party claims that the bill's passage is delayed because the Democratic Party of Korea has taken a negative stance.

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