News that military secrets relating to next-generation strategic weapons were leaked from the Agency for Defense Development to a foreign company is shocking. Also unforeseen is how one former researcher under investigation by the prosecution has taken his life. The investigation is still in its preliminary stages so exactly what secrets were leaked through what channels has not been revealed. But it is a serious matter in and of itself when secrets about weapons development end up at a foreign military equipment manufacturer.
The case differs from leaks of classified information resulting from a simple mistake or the actions of a single individual. The document leaked was about the assessment standards for a new weapons program that was about to have a manufacturing order placed on it. The deceased researcher left a note saying he hoped the damage would not spread on his account, and the company that the document ended up at was once contracted by the Korean government for short-range missiles.
The prosecution seems to be thinking that given the circumstances, the documentation was most likely leaked in the intense bidding wars worth at least billions of Won. The Agency for Defense Development is the place that does all of the country's research, development, and assessment of Korea's next-generation weapons. It is a massive loss for the country if cutting-edge technology under development has been leaked, and it would be hard to estimate the effects of such a leak.
The "Korean" weapons projects involve an astronomical amount of money and so they are the target of competition by foreign weapons dealers and producers. That is why there are a lot of suspicions about illegal lobbying and bribery in the course of choosing who gets the contracts. Important military secrets landed in the hands of weapons dealers back at the time of the Ulgok program.
The military and the prosecution need to be exhaustive in going after the connections that led to the leaking of classified information. They also must make sure no suspicions are left resolved regarding illegal activity such as bribery.
The Hankyoreh, 21 January 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Lingering Questions About Military Secrets Leak |
