Seoul: The Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's four-year prison sentence for a former Army soldier who was indicted for leaking military secrets, including materials related to joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, to China, judicial officials said Friday. The court confirmed the punishment, which also includes a 20 million-won (US$14,500) fine and the forfeiture of 19.07 million won, asserting there was no error in the lower court's ruling.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the defendant, whose identity has been withheld, allegedly met a Chinese national in Beijing in August 2024 while serving as an Army sergeant. The Chinese individual, claiming to be an official from a Chinese intelligence agency, solicited classified military information from the defendant, who agreed to the request.
The former soldier provided military secrets, including materials related to joint South Korea-U.S. exercises, the U.N. Command, and South Korean military drills, on seven occasions through February 2025. In exchange, he received approximately 17.26 million won. Investigators revealed that he was given a wristwatch-style camera by the Chinese national, which he used to photograph classified military secrets.
Initially, a military court sentenced the defendant to five years in prison. However, the Seoul High Court later reduced the sentence to four years, dismissing his claim that he had not intentionally leaked military secrets.