The Korean police announced that they had opened a preliminary investigation into an online leak that exposed the personal details of 168 individuals who travelled with President Lee Jae‑Myung on a six‑day overseas trip in June 2026. President Lee Jae‑Myung, his wife Kim Hea Kyung, senior ministers and other staff from the presidential office, the foreign ministry, the Presidential Security Service and journalists were among those whose information was posted on a paid security‑related website.
The leaked file—titled "Passenger list (South Korea‑Belgium)"—contained Korean and English names, job titles, birth dates, passport numbers and passport issuance and expiration dates for all 168 people. It also listed the dates of travel for the group, which travelled to Belgium, Italy and France between 9 and 15 June. Sources say the document was uploaded to the platform on 2 June, just days before the flight departed from Seoul onto its schedule of European stops.
The file was reportedly available to download for about five months before its removal. Police suspect that the upload occurred during a malware scan of the document, a process that some security platforms use to check for malicious code. The platform allows users, including paid members, to scan files or web addresses and to download files that have been uploaded.
Cheong Wa Dae said it had taken responsible measures after learning of the leak, and the foreign ministry and related agencies will carry out further action. The presidential office convened an emergency meeting on the Tuesday the leak was reported. The meeting was presided over by presidential chief of staff Lim Kwang‑hyun. He described the breach as a serious incident that could not be ignored and called for an investigation into its extent and any resulting damage.
During the meeting, Lim Kwang‑hyun urged relevant agencies to review the security management system for presidential overseas tours and to devise effective countermeasures. He also asked for an inquiry to determine who was responsible for the leak, citing the need to investigate the exact source of the data breach.
In addition to the 168 unnamed “first lady” and policy chief Kim Yong‑beom, the list included the National Security Adviser Wi Sung‑lack, government ministers and presidential officials. It also contained the details of journalists covering the presidenial travel. The document did not appear to be limited to beneficiaries of official travel; it appears to have covered all individuals listed in the passengers’ onboarding system.
The incident came a few weeks after the president and his entourage arrived in Brussels at an air base on 9 June. The group departed beat part of the usual diplomatic itinerary for a series of meetings in Belgium, Italy and France. The incident was announced by the Korean police on 3 November, precisely when the sources made the findings public in Yonhap reports.
Speculation has already begun regarding how the file was obtained. Some officials suggest that a security breach might have exposed the database that feeds the airline onboarding system, while others suspect a compromised internal process during the file upload to the security platform. Both politicians and civil servants are being scrutinised for possible negligence.
The preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Korean National Police Agency with the support of the cybercrime unit. An internal review is underway to establish whether the data in question passed through the actual airline systems or was compiled separately for diplomatic security purposes.
Presidential administration officials have said that the full extent of the leak or further damages will be revealed once the investigation is complete. The lack of a public statement from the president himself is expected to be a result of the urgency to resolve the matter.
Security analysts have warned that such leaks could jeopardise the safety of high‑level officials and that international partners may question the security protocols of South Korea’s armed forces and diplomatic visits. The standard operating procedures for data protection on air travel must be revisited in light of the breach.
The investigation is considered high priority by the Korean police. The final report is expected to include recommendations for tightening security on both the flight crew and accompanying staff datasets.
