Why a Man in His 40s Who Received Orders from North Korean Operatives Was Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

[Financial News] A man in his 40s who was caught collecting personal information on North Korean defectors and active-duty military personnel after receiving orders from a North Korean operative has been sentenced to prison.
According to legal sources on the 5th, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 21, presided over by Judge Jon Sun-pyo, sentenced Defendant A, 43, to five years in prison and five years of suspension of qualifications on the 28th of last month. He was indicted on charges including violating the National Security Act by spying.
Defendant A, who operated a virtual-asset investment company in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, met an operative affiliated with the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau through a cryptocurrency trading community around 2016. The two continued communicating via Telegram.
In 2021, Defendant A received cryptocurrency worth approximately 660 million won, or $600,000, from the operative under the pretext of investment operating funds.
In May 2021, Defendant A was instructed to approach a North Korean defector with an anti-North Korea stance and find out the person’s identity and activities. He obtained the cryptocurrency wallet address of Person B, the head of a North Korean defector group that sent anti-North Korea leaflets, by saying, "I would like to provide about 1 million won in support every month," and then passed it on to the operative.
The North Korean operative sent Person B coins worth 1 million won as a donation, helping Defendant A gain B’s trust. In October of that year, Person B sent him videos and photographs of the group’s event to distribute anti-North Korea leaflets.
Defendant A approached a North Korean defector YouTuber who had formerly worked for North Korea’s Ministry of State Security by email, saying, "I have always been very interested in North Korea’s human rights issues" and "If you have time, I hope we can have a drink of soju and talk comfortably." He obtained the person’s mobile phone number and photographs.
In July 2021, Defendant A received a personal-information file containing the names, assigned units, resident registration numbers, and other details of seven active-duty officers. He was instructed to "confirm additional information and recruit them."
Among them, Defendant A obtained photographs of Captain C in uniform and of C’s face from C’s social media account. He then asked a private investigation agency to follow C, saying, "My daughter is seeing someone, and I want to know about his relationships with women and his private life."
The operative paid the private investigation agency 2.5 million won worth of Bitcoin in return. The agency investigated and reported the exterior of Captain C’s residence, photographs of the entrance door, the rank and name of C’s roommate, as well as C’s schedule and movements.
In September of that year, Defendant A offered another captain money in exchange for providing a military organizational chart and other information via Telegram, but the captain refused. The court determined that these acts involved detecting and collecting state secrets and military secrets under orders from a North Korean operative, and therefore constituted violations of the National Security Act.
Regarding the contact information and activities of North Korean defectors, the court determined, "If disclosed to North Korea, this information could be used to track or carry out terrorist attacks against the defectors, or to harm their family members remaining in North Korea. It therefore has substantial value as state secrets warranting confidential protection."
Previously, Defendant A had been separately indicted on charges including recruiting an active-duty officer and stealing military secrets after receiving orders from the same operative. The Supreme Court of Korea finalized a sentence of four years in prison and four years of suspension of qualifications against him last year.
[email protected] Yoo Sun-jun Reporter