# South Korean presidential delegation data leak

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-korean-presidential-delegation-data-leak
> Updated: 2026-11-03T02:15:43.000Z. Sources: 24. Developments: 2.

Sensitive personal information belonging to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, the First Lady, and 166 members of a presidential delegation was exposed online. The data, which included names, affiliations, dates of birth, and passport details, originated from a file titled “Passenger List (Republic of Korea-Belgium)” that was uploaded to a paid security website in June 2026.

In response to the exposure, the Blue House held an emergency meeting to investigate the scope of the breach. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs began technical inspections of computers and email accounts used during the European trip, while authorities started reissuing passports for all affected individuals to mitigate security risks. Police launched a preliminary investigation, initially viewing the incident as a data exposure rather than a hacking event. Subsequent reports indicated that authorities are investigating whether the leak resulted from an external source or malware infection.

Newer findings suggest the leak may have occurred when the file was uploaded to VirusTotal, a paid malware analysis platform, likely during a security check prior to the President’s official trip to Europe. Authorities now believe the incident may have resulted from an internal error, specifically that an employee may have uploaded the file for a malware check without realizing the platform shares data with external security partners and paid subscribers. The investigation, led by Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun, aims to assign responsibility for the exposure, which affected 168 individuals including cabinet members, security details, and journalists.

## Claims

- The leaked data included passport numbers, dates of birth, and passport validity information. (reported by 22 sources)
- The data was contained in an Excel file titled “Passenger List (Republic of Korea-Belgium)” on a paid security platform. (reported by 22 sources)
- Personal information of 168 members of the presidential delegation was exposed online. (reported by 22 sources)
- The leak is suspected to have occurred during a malware check of the passenger list in June. (reported by 22 sources)
- Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the data leak. (reported by 21 sources)
- President Lee Jae Myung’s personal information was accessible on the internet for several months. (reported by 20 sources)
- The Blue House held an emergency meeting led by Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun. (reported by 19 sources)
- The President’s office announced an investigation and immediate countermeasures. (reported by 18 sources)
- The file was likely the passenger list for the presidential aircraft during Lee’s European trip in June. (reported by 5 sources)
- The data was uploaded one week before the start of the trip and could be downloaded by paying users. (reported by 5 sources)
- The leak affected the President’s wife, security advisors, office staff, bodyguards, personal physician, and journalists. (reported by 5 sources)
- The information was exposed on a paid security-related website for approximately five months. (reported by 3 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-11-03: South Korean President Lee orders review of youth SNS restrictions

President Lee has ordered a review of social media restrictions for minors and addressed a major data breach involving the personal information of the presidential delegation.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korean-president-lee-orders-review-of-youth-sns-restrictions

### 2026-11-02: South Korea President Lee Jae Myung affected by major data leak

Personal data of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and 167 others, including passport numbers, was exposed for five months on a cybersecurity platform due to a suspected internal error.

23 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korean-president-lee-jae-myung-affected-by-data-leak

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Cite as: South Korean presidential delegation data leak. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-korean-presidential-delegation-data-leak