ID :
198895
Wed, 08/03/2011 - 10:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198895
The shortlink copeid
Ex-Air Force chief among retired officers indicted for leaking military secrets
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- Three retired Air Force officers, including a former Air Force chief of staff, have been indicted on charges of leaking military secrets to a U.S. defense company, prosecutors said Wednesday.
According to prosecutors, the ex-officers were indicted without detention for allegedly handing over military secrets to Lockheed Martin on 12 different occasions between 2004 and 2010. Prosecutors said the officers took 2.5 billion won (US$2.4 million) in exchange for information in 2009 and 2010.
The former Air Force chief, surnamed Kim, had been a CEO of a local weapons brokerage company. He served as the top Air Force general from 1982 to 1984, and began operating the brokerage company in 1995.
The two other ex-officers were a retired colonel named Lee and a former senior chief petty officer surnamed Song. Both had been executives at Kim's company, prosecutors said.
The three are accused of leaking confidential information about the Air Force's operational plans, including its Joint Strategic Objectives Plan (JSOP). Disclosed data also included the Air Force's budgeting and deployment plans for key weapons, such as joint air-to-surface standoff missiles and fighter jets.
Prosecutors added that the retired officers also gave away information about the Air Force's plan to acquire new equipment and weaponry to arm fighter jets.
A prosecution official said leaking such information would weaken the Air Force's leverage in acquiring new weapons.
"That former officers, who should protect national security, leaked military secret for the interest of their business points to a serious moral hazard," the official said.
Prosecutors believe Lockheed Martin used these data to formulate marketing plans in South Korea. They said the company would learn about the Air Force's plan to acquire certain types of weapons and then would offer its products to the South Korean military through the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Seoul's defense procurement agency.
The retired officers are accused of handing over secret information in person during the meetings with Lockheed Martin employees or sending such data in e-mails.
According to prosecutors, three Lockheed Martin employees were also questioned during the investigation, but they claimed that they weren't aware of the confidential nature of the information.
Prosecutors said the ex-officers appear to have used their connections inside the Air Force and the DAPA to collect information.
Kim and fellow veterans, however, have denied they'd leaked any information through e-mails and said their data was only included in printed materials for their meetings with Lockheed Martin. They also claimed that such information is readily available on the Internet and is thus not a military secret.
According to prosecutors, the ex-officers were indicted without detention for allegedly handing over military secrets to Lockheed Martin on 12 different occasions between 2004 and 2010. Prosecutors said the officers took 2.5 billion won (US$2.4 million) in exchange for information in 2009 and 2010.
The former Air Force chief, surnamed Kim, had been a CEO of a local weapons brokerage company. He served as the top Air Force general from 1982 to 1984, and began operating the brokerage company in 1995.
The two other ex-officers were a retired colonel named Lee and a former senior chief petty officer surnamed Song. Both had been executives at Kim's company, prosecutors said.
The three are accused of leaking confidential information about the Air Force's operational plans, including its Joint Strategic Objectives Plan (JSOP). Disclosed data also included the Air Force's budgeting and deployment plans for key weapons, such as joint air-to-surface standoff missiles and fighter jets.
Prosecutors added that the retired officers also gave away information about the Air Force's plan to acquire new equipment and weaponry to arm fighter jets.
A prosecution official said leaking such information would weaken the Air Force's leverage in acquiring new weapons.
"That former officers, who should protect national security, leaked military secret for the interest of their business points to a serious moral hazard," the official said.
Prosecutors believe Lockheed Martin used these data to formulate marketing plans in South Korea. They said the company would learn about the Air Force's plan to acquire certain types of weapons and then would offer its products to the South Korean military through the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Seoul's defense procurement agency.
The retired officers are accused of handing over secret information in person during the meetings with Lockheed Martin employees or sending such data in e-mails.
According to prosecutors, three Lockheed Martin employees were also questioned during the investigation, but they claimed that they weren't aware of the confidential nature of the information.
Prosecutors said the ex-officers appear to have used their connections inside the Air Force and the DAPA to collect information.
Kim and fellow veterans, however, have denied they'd leaked any information through e-mails and said their data was only included in printed materials for their meetings with Lockheed Martin. They also claimed that such information is readily available on the Internet and is thus not a military secret.
