[COVER STORY] President, first lady to get new passports after personal data exposure

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung are having new passports issued after their personal information was exposed online, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The leak involved information on 168 people who traveled on the presidential jet for Lee’s June trip to Europe, and authorities are investigating how it happened. The ministry views the incident as a data leak rather than an external cyberattack and is reviewing computers and email accounts connected to the trip. Cheong Wa Dae ordered an investigation into the breach, responsibility and security procedures for presidential overseas trips.

The file reportedly included Korean and English names, affiliations, job titles, dates of birth, passport numbers, and passport issuance and expiration dates.

A file titled Passenger list (Republic of Korea-Belgium) was reportedly uploaded on June 2, before Lee departed for Europe on June 9, and remained accessible for months.

Those affected included Kim Yong-beom, Wi Sung-lac, Han Seong-sook, Cabinet members, officials from Cheong Wa Dae and the foreign ministry, security personnel, and reporters.

The foreign ministry said the spreadsheet appeared to follow its format but could not confirm it was an official ministry document because it may have been altered.

Presidential chief of staff Lim Kwang-hyun chaired an emergency meeting and ordered authorities to determine the full extent of the breach and identify responsibility.

Published Nov 3, 2026 10:27 am KST

Updated Nov 3, 2026 5:54 pm KST

Foreign ministry sees incident as data leak, not cyberattack

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung board Korea’s presidential aircraft at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, June 9, before departing for a European trip that included the G7 summit. Personal and passport information of 168 people traveling with the presidential delegation was later found to have been leaked online. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung are having new passports issued after their passport and other personal information were leaked, the foreign ministry said, Tuesday.

The government and the police are investigating how the data was exposed, although they believe it was a leak, not an external cyberattack.

“The foreign ministry is swiftly taking measures to ensure the smooth reissuance of passports for all affected individuals, including the president and first lady,” ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said during a briefing.

The measures came after it was known that sensitive personal information of 168 people who were aboard the presidential jet for Lee’s trip to Europe in June had been uploaded on a security-related paid website.

The leak affected not only the presidential couple but also ranking officials, including then-chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, current Prime Minister Han Seong-sook and several Cabinet members, as well as senior officials from Cheong Wa Dae and the foreign ministry, security personnel and reporters traveling with the presidential delegation.

A local media outlet reported the previous day that a file titled “Passenger list (Republic of Korea-Belgium),” containing the information was uploaded on June 2, before Lee departed for Europe on June 9 and remained accessible for months until recently.

The exposed information reportedly contained Korean and English names, affiliations, job titles, dates of birth, passport numbers and passport issuance and expiration dates.

A foreign ministry official said the leaked spreadsheet appears to follow a format used by the ministry and that such documents are generally compiled by its protocol office, but noted that the file may have been altered after the original data was created, making it difficult to confirm it as an official ministry document.

"We view the incident as a data leak rather than a hacking incident," Park said.

The foreign ministry requested an investigation by relevant authorities immediately after discovering the leak and is working with police and other agencies to determine how it occurred, he said.

However, the spokesperson did not disclose exactly when and how the ministry discovered the leak and when it reported the incident to police, just adding that the authorities will investigate the cause and circumstances.

He said the ministry and relevant authorities are also conducting a broader review, including technical inspections of computers and email accounts used in connection with the president’s overseas trip in June.

The website provides a service to scan user-uploaded files for malicious code using multiple antivirus engines. As to whether a ministry official in charge of the information management uploaded the file to check for malicious code and just left it, Park only said, "Investigation is ongoing."

Regarding whether the ministry can upload such files on external internet networks, he just said all materials about presidential trips are treated as security documents.

The spokesman said the ministry had taken steps to have the information removed from the website and was checking whether any other personal data had been exposed in an effort to prevent further leaks.

Since the exposed data included key personnel who accompany the president in close proximity, including security agents, medical staff and food inspectors, the incident has also raised concerns over possible security implications.

The National Police Agency launched an investigation. Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting, chaired by presidential chief of staff Lim Kwang-hyun, who called the incident serious and ordered authorities to investigate the full extent of the breach, identify responsibility and review security procedures for presidential overseas trips.

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) stepped up criticism of the presidential office and called on Lee to apologize.

“How can the presidential office claim to govern the nation when it cannot even protect the sensitive information of the head of state?” PPP spokesperson Cho Yong-sool said in a statement Tuesday, urging a thorough investigation.

“President Lee Jae Myung should apologize for the lax discipline within the presidential office and hold those responsible strictly accountable. The public cannot entrust its safety to a presidential office that fails to uphold even the basic tenets of national security.”

韩国外交部周二表示，李在明总统和夫人金喜京的个人信息在网上泄露后，已办理新护照。此次泄露涉及168名随李在明总统6月欧洲之行乘坐总统专机的乘客信息，当局正在调查泄露原因。外交部认为这是一起数据泄露事件，而非外部网络攻击，并正在审查与此次行程相关的电脑和电子邮件账户。青瓦台已下令对此次泄露事件、责任归属以及总统出访安全程序展开调查。

据报道，该文件包含韩文和英文姓名、所属机构、职位、出生日期、护照号码以及护照签发日期和到期日期。

据报道，在李于 6 月 9 日启程前往欧洲之前，一份名为“乘客名单（韩国-比利时）”的文件于 6 月 2 日上传，并持续访问了数月之久。

受影响的人员包括金容范、魏成乐、韩成淑、内阁成员、青瓦台和外交部官员、安保人员和记者。

外交部表示，该电子表格似乎符合其格式，但由于可能已被篡改，因此无法确认其是否为外交部的正式文件。

总统办公厅主任林光铉主持召开紧急会议，命令有关部门查明违规行为的全部范围并确定责任人。

发布于2026年11月3日上午10:27（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月3日下午5:54（韩国标准时间）

外交部认为这是一起数据泄露事件，而非网络攻击。

6月9日，韩国总统李在明和夫人金喜京在京畿道城南市首尔空军基地登上总统专机，启程前往欧洲，参加包括七国集团峰会在内的访问行程。随后发现，随行168人的个人信息和护照信息在网上泄露。韩国时报记者王泰锡摄

外交部周二表示，李在明总统和夫人金喜京的护照及其他个人信息泄露后，将办理新护照。

政府和警方正在调查数据泄露的原因，但他们认为这是一起泄密事件，而不是外部网络攻击。

外交部发言人朴斗顺在新闻发布会上表示：“外交部正在迅速采取措施，确保包括总统和第一夫人在内的所有受影响人员顺利重新签发护照。”

此前有消息称，李显龙总统6月份访问欧洲期间，乘坐总统专机的168名乘客的敏感个人信息被上传到一个与安全相关的付费网站上。

泄密事件不仅影响了总统夫妇，还影响了多位高级官员，包括时任政策办公室主任金容范、国家安全顾问魏成乐、现任总理韩成淑和几位内阁成员，以及青瓦台和外交部的高级官员、安保人员和随总统代表团出访的记者。

当地媒体前一天报道称，一份名为“乘客名单（韩国-比利时）”的文件于6月2日上传，其中包含相关信息。李某于6月9日启程前往欧洲，该文件在数月内一直可以访问，直到最近才被关闭。

据报道，泄露的信息包括韩语和英语姓名、所属机构、职位、出生日期、护照号码以及护照签发日期和到期日期。

外交部一名官员表示，泄露的电子表格似乎遵循了外交部使用的格式，此类文件通常由外交部礼宾处编制，但他指出，该文件可能在原始数据创建后被篡改过，因此很难确认其是否为外交部的官方文件。

朴先生表示：“我们认为这是一起数据泄露事件，而不是一起黑客攻击事件。”

他说，外交部在发现泄密事件后立即要求有关部门展开调查，并正在与警方和其他机构合作，查明泄密事件是如何发生的。

然而，发言人并未透露该部何时以及如何发现泄密事件，也未透露何时向警方报案，只是补充说，当局将调查泄密原因和情况。

他表示，该部和相关部门还在进行更广泛的审查，包括对总统6月份出国访问期间使用的电脑和电子邮件账户进行技术检查。

该网站提供一项服务，利用多种杀毒引擎扫描用户上传的文件是否存在恶意代码。至于是否是负责信息管理的某部委官员上传文件进行恶意代码检查后就置之不理，朴槿惠仅表示：“调查仍在进行中。”

至于该部是否可以将此类文件上传到外部互联网网络，他只是说所有有关总统出访的材料都被视为安全文件。

发言人表示，该部门已采取措施从网站上删除相关信息，并正在检查是否还有其他个人数据泄露，以防止进一步泄露。

由于泄露的数据包括与总统密切接触的关键人员，包括安保人员、医务人员和食品检查员，因此该事件也引发了人们对可能存在的安全隐患的担忧。

韩国国家警察厅展开调查。青瓦台召开紧急会议，由总统幕僚长林光铉主持。林光铉称此次事件性质严重，并命令有关部门彻查事件细节，查明责任人，并审查总统出访安保程序。

主要反对党人民力量党加大了对总统府的批评力度，并呼吁李显龙道歉。

“总统府连国家元首的敏感信息都保护不了，又怎能声称自己是在治理国家？”人民进步党发言人赵容叙周二发表声明，敦促进行彻底调查。

“李在明总统应该就总统府内部纪律松懈的问题道歉，并严惩相关责任人。民众不能将自身安全托付给一个连国家安全基本原则都无法维护的总统府。”