Chinese national under probe over allegedly bribing soldier for military secrets

Defense Counterintelligence Command in Gwacheon is shown, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 19, 2024. Newsis

A Chinese national is under investigation over allegedly bribing a Korean soldier in an attempt to obtain military secrets, officials at the Korean military's counterintelligence command said Thursday.

The Defense Counterintelligence Command has launched a probe after detecting allegations that a Chinese national and an active duty soldier have violated the military secret protection act, the officials said.

The Chinese national, arrested on the southern resort island of Jeju last month, is suspected of approaching Korean soldiers in a group chat room by posing as a soldier himself.

The suspect is believed to have offered to pay the soldiers in exchange for military secrets in one-on-one conversations.

A soldier serving at a unit in Gangwon Province allegedly used an unauthorized phone to take photos of internal documents that include information on joint Korea-U.S. military drills and handed them over to the suspect.

The counterintelligence command is reportedly looking into allegations that the suspect is a member of a larger group based in China, led by a ringleader who is possibly linked with the Chinese military. (Yonhap)