Claimed to be "the same as what was handed to Kim Jong-un"... 'Ministry of Unification USB' Information Disclosure Lawsuit Dismissed

It was revealed during the trial process that a USB held by the Ministry of Unification, claimed to contain the same content as what former President Moon Jae-in handed to North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, contains 'Level III state secrets.' However, it has not been confirmed whether this USB is identical to the one delivered to Chairman Kim.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 3 (Chief Judge Choi Su-jin) dismissed the request to cancel the refusal of information disclosure filed by Gu Ju, spokesperson of the Liberty Unification Party, and his lawyer against the Minister of Unification on the 17th.

On the 19th, the memoir "From the Margins to the Center," which contains stories from former President Moon Jae-in's tenure, is displayed at Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun Branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The court ruled, "As this concerns matters related to national security, defense, unification, and diplomatic relations, disclosure could severely harm the nation's significant interests in the sensitive and unpredictable inter-Korean relations."

The court reviewed the USB held by the Ministry of Unification in a closed session and explained, "The information includes content related to North Korea policies or inter-Korean cooperation projects concerning the New Economic Map of the Korean Peninsula prepared ahead of the 2018 Panmunjom Summit."

Furthermore, it stated, "(This information) is designated and managed as a Level III secret under the National Intelligence Service Act and security work regulations, defined as 'secrets that could harm national security if leaked.'" The court did not provide further specific details about the USB.

According to regulations, secrets are classified into three levels, with Level III being the lowest. The highest level, Level I secret, refers to secrets that, if leaked, could trigger war or jeopardize national defense plans, intelligence activities, or the development of essential science and technology for national defense.

In the past, some media outlets raised suspicions that the 'New Economic Map of the Korean Peninsula USB' handed by former President Moon to Chairman Kim during the 'Dobodari meeting' at the April 27, 2018 inter-Korean summit actually contained content related to North Korea’s nuclear power plant construction.

Regarding this, last April, lawyer Gu filed an information disclosure request with the Ministry of Unification, known to have produced this USB, demanding the disclosure of the content delivered to Chairman Kim. When the Ministry refused disclosure citing 'national defense and other national interests' under the Information Disclosure Act, he filed an administrative lawsuit.

Lawyer Gu also requested the Ministry to confirm whether the USB they possess is identical to the one delivered to Chairman Kim, but the Ministry stated it could not confirm this.

Lawyer Gu also accused former President Moon, Rep. Yoon Gun-young, who was the head of the Blue House’s National Situation Room, and former Minister of Unification Cho Myung-kyun at the prosecution, claiming, "Through the USB, South Korea’s nuclear power technology and know-how were transferred."