Presidential office holds emergency meeting over leak of personal data of president, trip entourage

The presidential office held an emergency meeting Tuesday to address the leak of personal information of President Lee Jae Myung and members of an entourage that accompanied him on his overseas trip in June.

The meeting, presided over by presidential chief of staff Lim Kwang-hyun, followed news reports that a computer file containing personal data of Lee's entourage for his June overseas trip had been uploaded to a publicly accessible website that same month.

Those affected also included the first lady, then presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, government ministers, presidential officials and journalists, according to earlier reports.

A total of 168 people reportedly had their personal information exposed in the leak.

The leaked personal information reportedly included dates of birth and passport numbers.

During Tuesday's meeting, the presidential chief of staff called the leak a serious incident that cannot be overlooked, stressing the need to investigate the exact extent of the data breach and any damage related to it.

Lim said an investigation should also be carried out to determine who was responsible.

The official also asked relevant government agencies to review the security management system for presidential overseas tours and to devise effective countermeasures, according to Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap)