South Korea moves to reissue passports for 168 people after an online leak exposes sensitive personal information involving President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung. The foreign ministry says it is taking steps to ensure smooth reissuance for all affected individuals while police investigate how the data became available.
Police say the investigation is prompted by passenger information for the presidential aircraft found posted online. Authorities report the exposed material includes passport details and other sensitive information for people connected to the presidential trip, including government officials, Cheong Wa Dae staff, foreign ministry personnel, security staff, and reporters who accompanied the president. One outlet also reports the information was reportedly posted in a downloadable file related to passengers traveling during Lee’s June trip to Belgium, Italy and France and had been available for months and on a paid security-related site.
Outlets broadly agree on the scale of the leak and the ministry’s response, though coverage differs in the detail provided about timing, where the file was hosted, and the investigation’s status.
