Tomorrow, Nuri, a space launch vehicle built with our technology, will launch.
The space development industry is highly technical, so every country maintains extreme security to prevent information leaks.
Recently, at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, a national security facility and the center of Korea’s space development research, security guards listened to phone calls without authorization.
The management organization and the researchers are responding as if it’s no big deal, saying that no confidential information was leaked.
Reporter Yang Dong-hoon has the exclusive report.
[Reporter]
Mr. A, who works as a special security guard at the Aerospace Research Institute, heard a strange story from his supervisor last month.
He was told to be careful because other guards were bugging his phone.
[Mr. A / Special Security Guard: I thought he was talking about something ridiculous, that they were tapping phones….]
At first, they laughed it off as nonsense, but eventually they were able to identify the person who was listening to the recordings.
[Mr. A / Special Security Guard: They put a chip in the side of the phone to record it. One person put a chip on the phone at the main gate and one person put a chip on the information desk in the main building….]
The Science and Technology Security Administration, which is in charge of security안전놀이터, said there was no eavesdropping.
All they did was briefly listen to an automated recording from the “information desk” that answers outside calls.
After consulting with legal counsel, they explained that there was no violation of the law and that they would end the case with a verbal warning.
However, it is questionable whether the investigation was conducted as befits a national security facility.
The management stated that the investigation was concluded after taking statements from the parties and the complainant, without confirming exactly what the guards heard and how much.
Fellow guards said they couldn’t understand the management team’s finding that listening to other people’s calls was not a problem.
[Mr. B / Special Security Guard: I think they’re just trying to sweep this under the rug, I feel like, so there’s no real investigation going on, and….]
In the end, the two guards who were accused of listening to the calls without authorization were not removed from duty.
Other guards have voiced their dismay at the lack of action taken by the management team that guards this key base for Korea’s aerospace industry.
As the management and the National Intelligence Service took no action, they finally filed a complaint with the police, asking them to reveal the exact details and circumstances of the unauthorized listening.
I’m Yang Dong-hoon of YTN.