A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to five years in prison for collecting information on North Korean defectors and active military personnel under the direction of a North Korean agent.
On September 5, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, led by Judge Jo Soon-pyo, sentenced the man, identified as A, to five years in prison and five years of disqualification from holding public office for charges related to espionage under the National Security Law.
A, who operated a cryptocurrency investment company, received instructions from a North Korean agent via Telegram in May and June 2021 to gather personal information and activities of defectors with anti-North Korean sentiments. During this period, he received approximately 660 million won (about $600,000) in cryptocurrency from the agent under the pretext of operational funds for his investment business.
He approached the head of a defector organization, expressing his intention to provide support, and facilitated the creation of a cryptocurrency wallet, which he then shared with the North Korean agent. The agent sent about 1 million won (approximately $900) in Bitcoin as a donation, which A used to obtain photos and videos related to the defector organization's activities, including the distribution of anti-North Korean leaflets.
A also contacted a North Korean defector YouTuber, expressing his interest in North Korean human rights issues via email to obtain a phone number. In July 2021, he received further instructions from the North Korean agent to verify the identities of seven active-duty officers, including their names, affiliations, units, and resident registration numbers.
He accessed the social media accounts of one officer, identified as Captain C, to obtain uniform and facial photos. Additionally, he hired a private investigator, asking them to follow C under the pretext of wanting to know about C's daughter's relationship, and received Bitcoin worth 2.5 million won (about $2,250) for this information. The investigator reported back with details about C's unit, residence, and schedule.
In August and September of the same year, A attempted to contact another officer via Telegram, offering money in exchange for information about military organizations, but was rejected.
The court stated, "If the collected information were to fall into North Korean hands, it could be used to track defectors or retaliate against their families remaining in North Korea," emphasizing the value of the information that needed protection. The court also noted the severity of A's actions, having received a large sum of cryptocurrency and acted on the agent's orders.
Previously, A had been separately indicted for approaching an active-duty officer and leaking military secrets under the same agent's direction, resulting in a four-year prison sentence and a four-year disqualification from public office confirmed by the Supreme Court in December of last year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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