'Gunsagimil Yuchul Yuyo' Immediate Dismissal Required
Unauthorized SI Access Criticized Even in Current Government
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Members of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea have called for the dismissal of Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, who was confirmed guilty of leaking military secrets.
The committee members held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 28th, stating, "The law that Deputy Director Kim violated is the 'Military Secrets Protection Act.' Security awareness is fundamental for those handling national security, but the person holding the positions of First Deputy Director of the National Security Office and Secretary-General of the NSC (National Security Council) lacks even the basics of security," they criticized.
Deputy Director Kim was confirmed guilty the previous day for leaking military secrets while serving as the Blue House Foreign Strategy Planning Officer during the Lee Myung-bak administration.
Regarding this, the committee members pointed out, "Deputy Director Kim leaked military secret materials without authorization when leaving the Lee Myung-bak administration," adding, "The prosecution (then Seoul Central District Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol) raided the research office of Sungkyunkwan University, where Deputy Director Kim was employed at the time, and hundreds of pages of military secret materials were found in bulk."
According to the verdict, the documents he leaked totaled 41 cases, including North Korean trend intelligence prepared by the Defense Security Command, materials on the living conditions of North Korean residents prepared by the National Intelligence Service, and Level 3 secret and confidential materials distributed at Blue House meetings. It was also added that he unauthorizedly removed military Level 2 secret documents produced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Furthermore, they raised concerns that after Deputy Director Kim was appointed as the First Deputy Director of the Security Office, he unauthorizedly accessed SI (Special Intelligence), a military special intelligence. They pointed out that although the date he requested to be included on the SI secret handling authorization list was July 27, he had already accessed SI information on May 24. They stated, "Deputy Director Kim accessed SI information without any qualifications and hastily obtained retroactive approval in writing after the issue was raised."
The committee members demanded President Yoon Seok-yeol immediately dismiss Deputy Director Kim, emphasizing, "If the lawbreaker Deputy Director Kim, who is unqualified, continues to be employed despite the court's ruling, the public will doubt President Yoon Seok-yeol's view on national security."
Kim Byung-joo, the opposition party secretary of the National Defense Committee, explained to reporters after the press conference, "We plan to thoroughly verify whether these matters (Deputy Director Kim's charges) fall under the security work enforcement regulations and discuss them at the National Assembly Steering Committee."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
