South Korea investigates leak of President Lee’s passport details

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was conducting a probe into the leak of personal information related to President Lee Jae Myung’s June overseas trip and was taking steps to reissue passports for Lee, his wife and other affected officials.

The comments came after KBS reported on Monday that passport details of 168 people, including Lee, his security officers and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, had been posted on a paid website in early June.

The ministry said it viewed the case as a leak rather than a hacking incident and had asked relevant agencies to investigate as soon as it became aware of it.

It is working with police and other authorities to determine how the information was disclosed, a spokesperson told a briefing.

The ministry also said it was carrying out technical inspections of computers and email accounts used in connection with Lee’s trip, and had taken steps to have the information removed from the website and prevent further exposure.

KBS said it had informed the presidential office after discovering the information online.

According to KBS, the file was uploaded under the name “passenger list” days before Lee’s June trip to Europe, which included visits to Belgium, Italy and France for a Group of Seven leaders’ summit.

A Foreign Ministry official said there was no evidence so far that the information had spread further