INVESTIGATION ON N.KOREAN AGENT CASE

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Last month an army captain who was connoted by a North Korean agent was put on trial for leaking classified military information. The captain has been found to belong to the Special Operation Forces known as a "decapitation unit" whose mission is to remove the enemy's leadership. An investigation has revealed some of the unit's plans had been leaked to the North Korean agent.

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A Special Operation Forces captain was put on trial last month for violating the National Security Law. He leaked classified military intelligence to a North Korean agent via Telegram. Investigators said the defendant sent information on army security rules and the log-in screen of the Korean Joint Command and Control System. The indictment says an operational plan tantamount to Secret military intelligence had also been leaked. Each battalion of the Special Operation Forces, tasked with removing the enemy's leadership, has regional agents performing recon, military strikes and collection of intel in the enemy's camp. The leaked plan shows how the regional agents should act in times of war. A military official says the plan also includes operational plans of senior battalions and brigades. The North Korean agent initially demanded the operational plans of the brigades and battalions that the captain belonged to, but having no authority to access them, the captain taped only a regional operational plan and sent it to the agent. Later the captain tried to record the operational plans of the brigades and battalions with his mobile phone, but was caught red-handed. The captain was also found to have handed over a document assessing the enemy's organization and equipment over to the North Korean agent. It shows which individuals and equipment the South Korean Special Operation Forces target. The investigators said in the indictment that the leaked intel can affect national security by exposing its military's intel gathering capabilities and raising the risk of unexpected attacks. Overhauling the intel system of the affected units will likely be inevitable.