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Chinese national arrested on suspicion of stealing Korean military secrets

Published: 03 Apr. 2025, 10:58

The phrase, Top Secret, written with a typewriter. [GETTY IMAGES]

Korea's Defense Counterintelligence Command arrested a Chinese national in Jeju Island on Saturday on suspicion of bribing an active-duty soldier to leak classified information, the military revealed Thursday.

The man is being held on suspicion of violating the Military Secret Protection Act. According to the Korean military, there is evidence that he was not acting alone.

The Chinese national is believed to be part of a group that allegedly began infiltrating open chatrooms used by active-duty soldiers early last year. Posing as military personnel, they approached individuals for one-on-one conversations and offered payment in exchange for military secrets.

A soldier stationed at a front-line unit based in Yanggu, Gangwon was reportedly recruited during this process. He allegedly smuggled an unauthorized mobile phone into the base, photographed classified military materials such as plans for Korea-U.S. joint exercises, and sent them to the Chinese national.

The Chinese national was arrested in Jeju as he attempted to enter the country in order to compensate the soldier from the Yanggu unit. The Defense Counterintelligence Command received a tip about a suspicious user in an open chatroom and apprehended the Chinese national through an undercover operation, according to reports.

The agency also uncovered evidence that the head of the group is based in China and may be affiliated with the Chinese military, leading to an expanded investigation.

“The investigation is ongoing, so we cannot disclose further details,” said a military official.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]