Police Probe Leak of Presidential Plane Passenger Information

South Korean police announced a preliminary investigation on Tuesday after a computer file listing the personal details of 168 people, including President Lee Jae Myung, his wife Kim Hea Kyung and senior cabinet ministers, was found online. The file, titled “Passenger list (South Korea‑Belgium),” was posted on a paid security‑related website that allows users to upload and scan files for malicious code. Police suspect the document was uploaded during such a malware scan and it remained publicly accessible for about five months before being deleted.

The leaked file included Korean and English names, positions, dates of birth, passport numbers and their issuance and expiration dates. The people listed were the president’s travel entourage for the June trip that visited Belgium, Italy and France. Those affected also comprised staff members of Cheong Wa Dae, the foreign ministry, the presidential security service and the journalists who covered the trip.

According to Yonhap, Cheong Wa Dae said it had taken responsive measures after learning of the leak. At the same time, the foreign ministry confirmed that it was conducting a comprehensive investigation in cooperation with other relevant agencies. Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo‑soon told a press briefing that the ministry was performing technical inspections of computers and email accounts used during the president’s overseas trip, and had checked the security platform to ensure no other instances of personal data exposure remained.

In response to the outbreak, the president’s office convened an emergency meeting presided over by chief of staff Lim Kwang‑hyun. During the meeting, Lim described the incident as a “serious security lapse” that could not be overlooked and called for an investigation into the exact extent of the breach and any damage caused. He also urged relevant agencies to review the security management system for presidential overseas tours and devise effective countermeasures.

Parallel to the police probe, the foreign ministry has arranged for passports to be reissued to all those affected, including President Lee and the first lady. The ministry also pledged to take measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Park stated that the incident was being treated as a “leak” rather than a hacking incident, noting that all materials related to presidential overseas trips are managed as classified documents.

Government officials have not yet identified how the file was uploaded to the public website. The police investigation, as reported by Yonhap, is still in its preliminary stage, focusing on determining whether the leak resulted from a cyber intrusion or from an internal oversight during the file’s transfer to the security platform. The ongoing inquiry will also assess whether any other personal data was exposed beyond the file that has already been removed.

Additional questions remain about the potential risks to the individuals listed. While the foreign ministry has stated that no immediate harm has been reported, it has not ruled out the possibility of future exploitation of the information by malicious actors. The police inquiry is expected to clarify the chain of events leading to the leak and to identify any personnel or systems that may have been compromised.

The incident has raised concerns about the safeguarding of personal data for high‑profile officials, especially during overseas trips. Analysts at the national cybersecurity agency have warned that the handling of classified travel documents on public platforms could create vulnerabilities that government departments might need to address. The presidential office’s commitment to