Personal Information Protection Commission Receives Report on Leak of Air Force One Passengers' Personal Information

Report filed over leak of personal information belonging to 168 people aboard Air Force One

The Personal Information Protection Commission has received a report of a data breach involving individuals who boarded Air Force One to accompany the president on an overseas trip.

The commission said it received a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at around 10 a.m. on Nov. 3 about the leak of personal information belonging to 168 people aboard Air Force One, including President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung.

Song Kyunghee, chair of the Personal Information Protection Commission, speaks about the recent personal data breach at a plenary meeting at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 28, 2026. Photo by Cho Yongjun

It came to light on Nov. 2 that a file containing the names, dates of birth and passport numbers of 168 people aboard Air Force One had been posted on a paid website. The file contained sensitive personal information, including the Korean and English names, affiliations, positions, dates of birth, passport numbers, and passport issuance and expiration dates of staff from the Blue House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presidential security personnel, and members of the press corps accompanying the president on the trip.

The paid website checks files or URLs for malware infections. Paid members can reportedly download files uploaded to the site.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested investigations by relevant agencies as soon as it confirmed the leak and is investigating how the information was leaked. The National Police Agency's Cyber Terror Investigation Unit has also launched a formal investigation into the case.

A commission official said, "We will verify the facts based on the report."

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