Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Military imposes light penalties on data leakers
By Jun Ji-hye
An opposition lawmaker claimed Monday that the military has been too lenient when punishing soldiers and officers found to have leaked confidential information.
Rep. Lim Nae-hyun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said during a parliamentary audit session that soft penalties encourage further leaks.
He cited an Army staff sergeant, caught posting confidential data on an online community portal on Aug. 20. As punishment, his monthly salary was reduced by one third for one month.
The staff sergeant at a front-line unit posted details of an information announcement that aired in his barracks. The content included an order for personnel to be on standby in preparation for further provocations from the North after the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire across the western quarter of the inter-Korean border.
The staff sergeant whose name is being withheld was investigated by the Defense Security Command (DSC).
The first-term lawmaker who belongs to the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee pointed out that the Military Secrets Protection Act stipulates that anyone who collects military secrets and leaks them should be sentenced to more than a year in prison. The same law also stipulates that a person who deals or has previously dealt with military secrets, and leaks information should be sentenced to more than three years in prison.
However, citing data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense ahead of the audit session, Rep. Lim said that no prison sentences have been issued in 37 cases involving leaks since 2011.
The lawmaker cited another example involving an Air Force officer sentenced to three years in prison suspended for five years in 2008 for leaking the Air Force’s plan to strengthen its power to an official of a weapon’s brokerage firm.
At the time, a military court cited that he was a first-time offender, had heart disease and could not refuse a request from the company official who was in a difficult situation, Lim said.
“A staff sergeant had his monthly salary reduced for a month, which seems to be a light punishment, for leaking military secrets during a very serious situation in which North Korea fired artillery. And an Air Force officer received a suspended sentence for handling over the confidential data to a weapon’s broker,” Lim said. “It is difficult to understand such rulings.”
The lawmaker argued: “More severe punishments are urgently necessary in order to eradicate leaks of military secrets.”
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