hankyoreh

Dec. 6. (Yonhap News Agency)　　

By Lee Soon-hyuk

The Ministry of National Defense issued orders to ferret out the official who leaked information about recent directions to prohibit and delete smartphone applications and podcasts such as Naggomsu in the Army’s consolidated maintenance depot and VI corps.

“My understanding is that Minister Kim Kwan-jin recently issued orders to find out who leaked this to the press,” a ministry official said Thursday, adding that there are plans for an investigation by military police.

Another ministry official said, “I am aware that Kim Kwan-jin strongly objected to the reporting of content from internal military documents in the media.”

When asked by Democratic United Party lawmakers about the Naggomsu ban during a Wednesday meeting of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, Kim said it was a “lawful measure intended to promote fighting strength.” But others within the armed forces were critical of his hard-line stance.

A field-grade officer said, “From talking with my colleagues about this, it seems like the overall opinion is that it is possible to have an order not to listen [to the podcast], but that there’s a problem with ordering an examination of each official’s cell phone and reporting on the results.”

Another field-grade officer said, “To call for an investigation of every commissioned and noncommissioned officer‘s cell phone and a report on the result is an impossible order.”

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