South Korea probes passport leak affecting president, 167 others

South Korea's presidential office held an emergency meeting Tuesday after passport numbers and birth dates of President Lee Jae Myung and 167 members of his overseas entourage were leaked online, according to Yonhap News Agency. The exposed information, uploaded to a publicly accessible website in June, included details concerning the first lady, senior presidential aides, government ministers, security officials and journalists accompanying the president.

Officials launch emergency probe

The meeting was chaired by presidential chief of staff Lim Kwang-hyun, who described the breach as a "serious incident" and ordered a full investigation into its extent, potential damage and those responsible. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said authorities were conducting technical inspections of computers and email accounts linked to the June trip, and had secured the removal of the leaked information from the website while checking for further exposure.

Replacement passports arranged

Authorities are arranging replacement passports for everyone affected, including the president and first lady, as the incident is investigated as a data leak rather than a hacking incident, Park said, adding that documents related to presidential overseas trips are classified. Lee took office in June following a snap presidential election triggered by the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024.