South Korean Man Sentenced to Five Years for Spying for North Korea

A 43 year old South Korean man has been sentenced to five years in prison for spying for North Korea, officials announced Saturday. The Seoul Central District Court convicted the man for violating the National Security Act, noting that information regarding anti Pyongyang defectors requires protection because it could be used to harm them or their families.

According to court findings, the man received orders from a North Korean agent via Telegram between May and June of 2021. He was tasked with collecting information on anti Pyongyang defectors and their activities. During this period, the man received approximately 660 million won, or 479,346 US dollars, in virtual currency from the agent to fund cryptocurrency investments.

The man approached the head of a North Korean defector group under the guise of offering sponsorship. He facilitated a 1 million won Bitcoin donation from the North Korean agent to the group, in exchange for which he received videos and photos of the group distributing anti Pyongyang leaflets.

Additionally, the man was instructed to gather personal information on seven active duty military officers, including their resident registration numbers and units, to recruit them for espionage. He hired a private investigation agency to track one of these officers, paying 2.5 million won in cryptocurrency for details on the officer's residence, schedule, and activities.

This sentence follows a previous ruling in December of last year, where the Supreme Court sentenced the man to four years in prison for leaking military secrets and approaching an active duty officer at the request of North Korea.