Former administration security officials suspected of leaking THAAD operation details

[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that former National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong and other personnel from the Moon Jae-in administration's security team, who were referred for investigation by the Board of Audit and Inspection, are facing allegations of leaking military secrets.

They are suspected of having informed China in advance about missile replacement operation information that included national secrets, and also communicated this to domestic opposition groups.

Jeong Jae-woo reports.

[Report]

In May 2020, a large transport vehicle carrying THAAD-related equipment entered the U.S. military base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The transport operation was conducted without prior notice, leading local residents and members of anti-THAAD groups to block the base's access road, resulting in clashes with the police from early morning.

The Board of Audit and Inspection suspects that there was prior leakage of information regarding the transport operation, which led to residents blocking the equipment's entry.

At that time, the Ministry of National Defense stated that it had sufficiently explained such operations to China, which was concerned about potential backlash.

[Choi Hyun-soo/Former Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson/May 29, 2020: "It is necessary to replace aging equipment to ensure the performance and safety of some THAAD system components."]

However, the Board of Audit and Inspection reported that the explanation at the time included classified information and applied allegations of violating the Military Secret Protection Act and abuse of power against related personnel, referring the case to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office at the end of last month.

The individuals referred for investigation include former National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong and former Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo, among four people.

In response, former Minister Jeong stated, "Informing China was in accordance with the National Security Council's decision, and there were no classified materials at all."

He also explained, "Informing civil society groups was a matter of 'situation management'."

The Democratic Party criticized this as "groundless political retaliation against the previous government."

[Youn Kun-young/Democratic Party: "The Board of Audit and Inspection has reappeared. It wields a sword against the previous government. This is a scene we have seen countless times over the past two and a half years."]

They further denied the related facts, stating that the Moon Jae-in administration never intentionally delayed the THAAD deployment and that THAAD was operated normally.

This is KBS News, Jeong Jae-woo.