Court rejects lawsuit over South Korean Ministry of Unification USB as ”third-class state secret”

A lawsuit seeking the release of a USB flash drive held by the South Korean Ministry of Unification has been dismissed by a South Korean court. The USB flash drive contained a South Korean official's name, Moon Ji-hye, who was present at the Panmunjom summit between the two Koreas in 2018.
It was suspected that the contents of the USB that former President Moon Jae-in allegedly handed over to North Korean leader Kim Jung Eun were included in the investigation.
According to a South Korean legal source on the 21st, the Seoul Administrative Court's 3rd Administrative Division indicted Koo, a spokesman for the Liberal United Party, on the 17th.
The court dismissed a request filed by lawyer Ju-wa against the Minister of Unification to overturn the decision to refuse to disclose information. During the trial, it was not even confirmed whether the USB was the same one given to Kim Jong-un.
The court ruled that "if matters related to national security, defense, unification, and diplomatic relations are made public, it could seriously damage the nation's vital interests in the sensitive and unpredictable relationship with North Korea.
The court confidentially examined the USB held by the Ministry of Unification and found that the information in question was related to the New Korean Peninsula Economic Initiative, which was being prepared ahead of the 2018 Panmunjom summit.
"The information in question is classified as a Class 3 state secret in accordance with the National Intelligence Service Act and the National Security Affairs Regulations," he said.
"The contents of the USB are secrets that, if leaked, could harm national security," he said. The court also did not disclose the details of the USB.
According to the regulations, secrets are divided into three levels, with Level 3 being the lowest level. Level 1 secrets, the highest level, are those that cannot be leaked.
These are secrets whose disclosure could have serious consequences, such as starting a war or jeopardizing national defense planning, intelligence activities, and scientific and technological developments essential to the defense of the nation.
In the past, some media reported that former President Moon handed the document to Chairman Kim at the inter-Korean summit on April 27, 2018.
The article reported suspicions that the "Korean Peninsula New Economic Initiative USB" that was sent to Kim Jong Un contained information about the construction of a nuclear power plant in North Korea.
However, the Ministry of Unification refused to disclose the information, claiming that it would "violate national interests, including national defense," and as a result, an administrative lawsuit was filed.
Ku asked the Ministry of Unification to confirm whether the USB it held was the same one given to Kim. However, the ministry was unable to confirm this.
Previously, Ku had claimed that he had "handed over South Korea's nuclear technology and know-how via USB," and had spoken out against former President Moon, lawmaker Yoon Gun, who was the director of the National Assembly's Situation Room, and Cho Myoung-gi.
He had filed a complaint against former Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyun to the prosecution.