In brief
A file containing the personal information of 168 people, including President Lee Jae‑Myung and his staff, was posted on a public website. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called the incident a security disaster and urged the president to issue an apology, while the ruling Democratic Party accused the PPP of politicizing the breach. Cheong Wa Dae has issued security measures and police have launched a formal investigation.
In Seoul, the People Power Party (PPP) denounced the presidential office on Tuesday after a file listing 168 people—including President Lee Jae‑Myung, his wife and staff from an overseas trip—was posted on a public website in June.
The backlash intensified when PPP spokesperson Cho Yong‑sool described the leak as a "security disaster" that "left the door wide open to an enemy or a terrorist group." He added that the exposure of "security personnel, medical staff and aides" heightened the danger.
"The data leak of key information related to a presidential overseas trip to the public amounts to a security disaster akin to leaving the door wide open to an enemy or a terrorist group."
Cho followed up with, "What is more concerning is that the identities of security personnel, medical staff and aides assisting the president were also exposed."
Pegging the responsibility back to the office, Cho demanded that President Lee issue an apology for what he called lax discipline and called for accountability for the involved officials.
Meanwhile, PPP leader Jang Dong‑hyeok ran a Facebook post criticizing the presidential office, saying, "It is now the presidential office's turn to go down?" The post echoed calls for tougher penalties for personal data breaches.
Opposition to the claim, Democratic Party floor spokesperson Lee Ju‑hee wrote that the government had "immediately deleted the information posted on the website and took proactive measures to prevent further damage, including checking whether additional data has been leaked." She cautioned the PPP to "stop turning everything into a political issue and fueling public anxiety," urging a focus on the investigation’s outcome.
Cheong Wa Dae confirmed that it has "taken necessary measures after becoming aware of the data leak," and declined to name those responsible.
Police have launched a formal investigation into how the data was leaked and are looking into whether the breach was an internal mistake or an automated security scan.
Both sides call for stronger data protection, but the PPP has set the tone by labeling the incident as a national security failure that needs clear accountability.
