Suspicion of 'THAAD Confidential Leaks', Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Investigates

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into allegations that high-ranking officials leaked military operation information to civic groups to slow the deployment of the high-altitude missile defense system "THAAD" during the Moon Jae In government.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has allocated a case to the Public Investigation Department 3 in which the Board of Audit and Inspection requested the investigation of four people, including former National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong and former Defense Minister Chung Kyung-doo, on charges of violating the Military Confidential Protection Act.

Chung and others are suspected of leaking South Korea-U.S. military operations on the replacement of battery missiles, which are class 2 secrets, to civic groups in order to delay the official deployment of THAAD, which was temporarily deployed in 2017.

Earlier at the end of last month, the Board of Audit and Inspection requested the prosecution to investigate the situation in which former head of the department Jeong and other security officials leaked confidential information.