“Cheong Wa Dae Opened Its Front Door to North Korea” ... Terror Fears After Air Force One Passenger List Leak

[Financial News] Concerns have emerged that information may have fallen into the hands of hostile countries after the personal information of 168 people—including President Lee Jae Myung and his wife, aides and reporters—was exposed online for a staggering five months. The People Power Party criticized the incident, saying it stemmed from lax discipline at Cheong Wa Dae.
It emerged that all the information on the 168 passengers aboard the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, had been available for anyone anywhere in the world to download starting a week before the European and G7 trip. Hostile countries, including North Korea, could also share the information. 
On the 3rd, the People Power Party said, “It is rare for personal information to be exposed so recklessly even at an outing with a group of neighborhood representatives,” and pointed out, “What is even more serious is that the identities of security personnel, medical staff and aides who support the president at close quarters were all exposed.”
The party stressed that, since a president’s overseas trips are directly linked not only to the safety of the head of state but also to diplomacy and national security, thorough security management of the identities and movements of accompanying personnel is the most basic of requirements.
The People Power Party criticized the incident, saying, “Making key information about President Lee’s diplomatic trip public to an unspecified number of people is, in effect, a security disaster tantamount to throwing open the front door of one’s home to an enemy state or terrorist group.”
It further pointed out that it was difficult even to determine who had accessed and misused the information.
The People Power Party said that “the lapse in discipline at Cheong Wa Dae, which is responsible for the president’s safety, has gone too far,” and asked, “Do you think it makes any sense to claim to be responsible for running the country when you cannot even protect the head of state’s sensitive information?”
It stressed that this was not something that should be quietly brushed aside through an internal Cheong Wa Dae investigation.
The People Power Party’s spokesperson, Cho Yong-sul, said, “Investigative authorities must thoroughly establish the circumstances surrounding the leak of sensitive information about the president and accompanying personnel,” adding, “They must conduct a full investigation into whether the information was actually accessed, any further leaks, and the possibility of misuse.” The party also called on President Lee to apologize for the lapse in discipline at Cheong Wa Dae and to hold those responsible strictly accountable.
Meanwhile, a list of passengers aboard Air Force One, believed to have been compiled during the G7 Summit trip last June, was posted on a paid security-related website for about five months.
The list reportedly contained the personal information of 168 people in total, including President Lee and his wife; senior government officials such as Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT; Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Wi Sung-lac, head of Cheong Wa Dae’s Office of National Security; as well as staff of the Presidential Security Service and reporters who accompanied the trip. Sensitive information such as their affiliations, positions, dates of birth and passport numbers was also reportedly included.
In particular, materials related to the matter were posted from June 2, a week before the trip’s departure. Reports that the identities of personnel providing close protection for the president and medical staff had also been exposed raised security concerns. 
[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter