The police have initiated a pre-investigation into the leak of personal information of 168 individuals, including President Lee Jae-myung and his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, who were aboard the Air Force One.
According to the National Police Agency on November 3, the investigation began following the exposure of the passenger list and personal data from the presidential aircraft online the previous day.
In June, a paid security-related website posted a file titled 'Passenger List (South Korea-Belgium)'.
This file reportedly contained the Korean and English names, affiliations, positions, birth dates, passport numbers, and passport issuance and expiration dates of 168 individuals, including the President and First Lady, key government officials, staff from the Blue House and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, security personnel from the Presidential Security Service, and journalists covering the Blue House.
Concerns have been raised as the file also included the identities of security personnel, the President's personal physician, and medical staff, as well as those responsible for the President and First Lady's clothing, hair, and makeup, which could pose security risks.
President Lee departed for Brussels on June 9 to attend the South Korea-EU summit and the G7 summit in France, as well as a state visit to Italy, suggesting that the leaked information pertains to individuals on that trip.
The website in question is known for checking files and URLs for malware, and paid members can download uploaded files.
The file was exposed for approximately five months, from June 2 until it was blocked from access.
The Blue House stated the day before that it had taken preemptive measures in response to the report. On the morning of November 3, Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun held an emergency meeting to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the data leak, the extent of exposure, and any actual damage.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees the overall management of Air Force One, also expressed its serious concern regarding the matter and stated it would investigate the circumstances and take necessary actions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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