Kang Hyo-sang, a former South Korean lawmaker, has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year, for leaking details of a phone conversation between leaders of South Korea and the United States.
The Supreme Court of South Korea confirmed the conviction of former lawmaker Kang Hyo-sang for leaking the details of a conversation between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and former U.S. President Donald Trump. The court upheld the original sentence of six months in prison, which is suspended for one year, ruling that Kang’s actions violated national security by disclosing diplomatic secrets obtained from a high school classmate who worked at the South Korean embassy in the United States.
In May 2019, during the Moon administration, Kang disclosed that President Moon had proposed to Trump to visit South Korea following a trip to Japan. The leak was deemed to undermine the trust and confidentiality between nations, as the information was categorized as a level-3 diplomatic secret by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Initially sentenced in 2022, Kang's appeals were rejected by both the appellate and the Supreme Court, reaffirming the lower court’s stance on the seriousness of his offense.
Additionally, the individual who provided Kang with the leaked information received a suspended sentence of four months in prison. This case highlights the ongoing issues surrounding the handling of sensitive diplomatic communications and the legal repercussions of mismanaging classified information in South Korea's political landscape.
