South Korean Police Investigate Leak of President Lee Jae-myung's Passport and Travel Data

Police Open Formal Probe into Presidential Plane Data Leak

South Korean police have launched a formal criminal investigation into the online leak of personal information for 168 people, including President Lee Jae-myung, his wife and senior officials, from a file related to his June presidential trip to Europe. [1] A file titled "Passenger list (South Korea-Belgium)" containing names in Korean and English, affiliations, job titles, dates of birth, passport numbers and passport issuance/expiration dates was uploaded to a paid security-related website that scans for malicious code. [1] The file, which covered passengers on the presidential plane for Lee's visits to Belgium, Italy and France, remained accessible for about five months after being uploaded on June 2 but is now inaccessible. [1] Police switched from a preliminary probe to a formal investigation; they suspect the file was uploaded during a malware scan process. [1] The information affected 168 individuals, including Lee and his wife, key government officials, staff members of Cheong Wa Dae and the foreign ministry, members of the Presidential Security Service and journalists covering Cheong Wa Dae. [1]

How the Passenger List Was Exposed

The file titled "Passenger list (South Korea-Belgium)" was posted on a paid, security-related website that allows users to scan files or web addresses for malicious code. [1] Paid members and other users are reportedly able to download files uploaded to the platform. [1] Police suspect that the file, which contained information about individuals aboard the presidential aircraft during Lee's visits to Belgium, Italy and France in June, was uploaded to the platform in the process of being scanned for malicious code. [1] The file reportedly remained accessible for about five months after being uploaded on June 2, ahead of the presidential tour, but is now no longer accessible. [1] After earlier opening a preliminary probe into the leak, police said they have switched to a formal criminal investigation. [1] The Korean National Police Agency confirmed the details of the uploaded file and the personal information it contained. [1]

Government Response and Further Investigations

Cheong Wa Dae has taken responsive measures, the foreign ministry reported the leak to the Personal Information Protection Commission, and that agency will verify details. [1] Cheong Wa Dae said it has taken responsive measures after becoming aware of the online information leak and the foreign ministry and other relevant agencies would carry out further actions. [1] The foreign ministry, which is also investigating the incident, separately reported the leak to the country's privacy watchdog on Tuesday. [1] An official at the Personal Information Protection Commission said the agency plans to verify details of the leak based on the report. [1] President Lee Jae-myung and his wife, Kim Hea Kyung, disembarked from the presidential plane upon its arrival at an air base in Brussels, Belgium, on June 9, 2026. [1]

Broader Cybersecurity Alerts Issued

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has requested emergency cybersecurity checks at 2,100 public institutions following cyberattacks on financial firms that exposed about 100,000 personal records. [5] The National Intelligence Service has called on the central government agencies and local governments to carry out their own security checks based on a checklist. [5] The NIS plans to conduct its own vulnerability assessments of critical information and communications infrastructure in the public sector under its jurisdiction, with the assessments expected to be completed by mid-November. [5] Local financial institutions, including banks, savings banks and insurance companies, were hit by a series of cyberattacks last month, exposing about 100,000 cases of personal information across the industry, including email addresses, names and phone numbers. [5] The NIS has called for particular attention to be paid to the management of potential cyberattack entry points, the operation of security monitoring systems and the application of security patches. [5] The agency is conducting direct vulnerability assessments of internet-facing systems at public-sector facilities designated as critical information and communications infrastructure. [5]

Other Crime Developments in South Korea

Police said Tuesday they have busted a criminal ring suspected of manufacturing billions of won worth of methamphetamine using cold medicine. [3] The group allegedly bought large quantities of cold medicine to extract pseudoephedrine, a chemical used to illegally make methamphetamine, and produced 1.36 kilograms of the drug between April 2025 and June this year, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. [3] The amount is estimated to be worth 4.2 billion won and can be taken simultaneously by 40,000 people. [3] Police have referred 13 suspects involved in the scheme, including the group's five members, to the prosecution on drug-related charges. [3] The group had used an abandoned apartment to begin producing the drug in April last year before investigators were tipped off about the scheme in December. [3] Police began apprehending the suspects in June after an undercover investigation. [3] Investigators found that a traditional Korean medicine pharmacist and five other suspects helped the group manufacture the drugs. [3] The pharmacist was found to have sold the group 10,610 bottles of cold medicine, containing 636,600 pills, between January and June. [3] Investigators said they seized the 1.36 kg of methamphetamine before distribution as well as 635 grams of pseudoephedrine and drug manufacturing equipment. [3] The drug ring leader had previously been imprisoned for producing methamphetamine with cold medicine in 2021. [3] Separately, Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor allegedly received an extortion call demanding Rs 5 crore from a person claiming to be Harry Boxer, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. [2] A preliminary investigation by the Mumbai Crime Branch has ruled out the involvement of Bishnoi gang members in the threat call. [2] Tusshar has informally alerted the Mumbai Police about the threat, following which his security has been beefed up. [2] The investigation has been handed over to the Crime Branch and its Anti-Extortion Cell. [2] The Crime Branch’s technical team examined the audio recording of the threatening call and compared the sender’s voice with official audio samples of Harry Boxer available in its database. [2] The analysis reportedly found no match between the two recordings. [2] Police suspect that an unidentified person may have impersonated a Bishnoi gang member and used the gang’s name to intimidate the actor and extort money. [2] No First Information Report has been registered so far, as the police are continuing their investigation to establish the origin of the audio recording and identify the caller. [2]

What to watch next: Police will continue their formal investigation into the passenger list leak while the Personal Information Protection Commission verifies details, and the National Intelligence Service will complete its vulnerability assessments of critical infrastructure by mid-November.