Indonesian Technicians Cleared of Charges in KF-21 Data Leak Case

All five Indonesian technicians involved in the investigation regarding the alleged leak of sensitive data related to the Korean fighter jet KF-21 have been cleared of criminal charges. The prosecution announced at the end of last month that the technicians were not guilty of violating the Defense Technology Protection Act, the Defense Acquisition Act, or the Foreign Trade Act. However, they received a deferred prosecution decision for violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, which means that while the charges were acknowledged, the prosecutors chose not to pursue a trial based on various circumstances.

Reports indicate that the decision to drop criminal charges was influenced by the absence of critical confidential information in the materials the technicians attempted to leak during their assignment at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

On January 17 of last year, these technicians were caught trying to transfer a USB drive containing numerous documents related to the KF-21 development process. With the prosecution's recent decisions, the investigation into the case has effectively concluded after a year and a half.

This development is expected to ease tensions between the South Korean and Indonesian governments regarding the KF-21 project. Last August, the South Korean government reduced Indonesia's financial contribution to the KF-21 development from 1.6 trillion won to 600 billion won due to funding difficulties faced by Indonesia, while also deciding to scale back the technology transfer. Following this, the South Korean government requested a revision of the agreement, but Indonesia was reluctant to engage in discussions, citing the unfairness of the investigation into its technicians. With the investigation now concluded, there is speculation that the Indonesian government may adopt a more cooperative stance regarding the revision of the KF-21 co-development agreement.