**After Being Criticized by Lawmakers, Police Investigation Requested Late**
**Choi Min-hee: “The regulation specifying security responsibility must be upheld by the director.”**
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seung-han – An incident occurred at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), a national security agency, where an employee scheduled to retire took their computer out with them without authorization. However, it was revealed that KARI was unaware of this incident for nearly a month and a half until a lawmaker’s inquiry brought it to their attention.
Despite KARI previously encountering issues of technology leaks in early 2023 and throughout this year, criticisms arise that the institute is still neglecting research security.
According to Choi Min-hee, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information, and Broadcasting Committee and a member of the Democratic Party, an incident occurred on August 16, involving a KARI senior researcher who retired on August 31. The researcher entered KARI with their spouse (an external individual) during the weekend and carried out multiple items, including their computer and monitor.
As a national-level security agency, KARI should strictly control external access and manage item removal, but the researcher entered the main building with an outside individual and removed equipment used for research without any challenge.
Although a data leak was suspected, KARI reportedly remained unaware of the incident for 45 days until the issue was pointed out by a lawmaker.
It wasn’t until September 30, when Rep. Choi’s office requested an overview of the incident, that KARI first recognized the weekend removal of the PC by the researcher.
Subsequently, after internal discussions and reporting, KARI reported the leak incident to the Aerospace Administration and the National Intelligence Service on October 2. The National Research and Development Innovation Act requires reporting fraudulent activities related to national research and development projects to higher authorities, hence they reported to the Aerospace Administration.
The Aerospace Administration and the National Intelligence Service conducted an investigation following the report, and KARI requested a police investigation on October 14.
KARI has faced consecutive research security incidents over the recent years, yet continues to lack measures to prevent such leak incidents, prompting calls for a comprehensive reassessment of research security.
In 2023, four researchers were investigated for allegedly viewing technical data by attaching and detaching storage devices, and in March of this year, another researcher faced police investigation for technology leakage.
Both the Aerospace Administration and KARI stated, “We cannot confirm details as the matter is under investigation.”
Rep. Choi Min-hee remarked, “The fact that an internal employee could depart with a research PC, in the company of an outsider, from KARI’s main building—a security agency of a high-level—without KARI’s knowledge until the National Assembly’s intervention, suggests KARI was essentially a security blind spot.” She added, “The recurring security incidents at KARI are not coincidental but are inevitably due to management negligence and a lack of security awareness.”
She further stated, “Article 4 of KARI’s security work regulations specifies the institution head’s security responsibility,” and urged, “The director should take a responsible stance in response to recurring security incidents.”