"To Operate a Private Game Server"... Man Who Contacted North Korean Hacker Receives Prison Sentence in Second Trial

Charged with Violating the National Security Act
Sentenced to One Year in Prison and Taken Into Custody in Court

A man who maintained long-term contact with a North Korean hacker and provided money to operate a private server for an online game has been sentenced to prison in both the first and second trials.

According to Yonhap News on November 14, the Criminal Appellate Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Ban Jeongwoo) dismissed both the prosecutor's and Mr. A's appeals in the appellate trial for violating the National Security Act and upheld the original ruling. Mr. A (age 39) was taken into custody in court. Previously, in December of last year, the first trial court sentenced Mr. A to one year in prison and suspended his qualifications for one year.

In November 2013, while operating an illegal private server for a domestic online game, Mr. A found it difficult to continue due to enhanced security measures on the official game server. He was then introduced to developer Mr. B. Starting in January of the following year, he paid Mr. B to use a file that would disable the game's security features. At this time, Mr. A learned that Mr. B was connected to a North Korean hacker. Believing the payment for the file was excessive, Mr. A visited Mr. B's house in July of that year and requested to deal directly with the North Korean hacker. Eventually, Mr. B provided Mr. A with the messenger ID of North Korean hacker Mr. C.

Afterward, Mr. A began dealing directly with hacker Mr. C. From July 2014 to May of the following year, Mr. A communicated with Mr. C, used the security-disabling files, and transferred a total of 23.8 million won to a Chinese bank account as payment.

The first trial court stated, "The defendant interacted with members of North Korea who raise ruling funds for the regime by creating and selling illegal programs that can be abused for DDoS attacks and other purposes, and provided them with money," adding, "This poses a serious threat to national security and presents significant risks to society." The court further noted, "Although it appears that the defendant did not actively sympathize with the North Korean regime or its ideology, he used the files solely for personal gain without any consideration for the risks to the nation or society." Regarding sentencing, the court explained, "We considered the fact that Mr. A admitted his wrongdoing and turned himself in to correct his actions."

Meanwhile, Mr. A is known to be the husband of the founder of a well-known athleisure (everyday sportswear) brand, Company A, and a former executive. Concerning this, a representative from the company stated, "The company was acquired a long time ago, and he no longer holds any shares," adding, "We have no way of confirming whether the individual in question is indeed him."

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