Seventh man implicated in Shanghai sex scandal

A seventh man has been implicated in the Shanghai sex scandal involving leaked Korean state secrets to a Chinese woman who had affairs with several Korean consular officers in the Chinese city.

The Dong-A Ilbo discovered Thursday that the computer file containing sensitive personal data of key political figures in Korea was created on the PC of a Korean man surnamed Min.

The findings raise the possibility that he conspired or helped leak the classified information from the Korean consulate in Shanghai to Deng Xinming. Min is believed to be the former head of a Shanghai branch of the Korean franchise Skin Food. Deng is an adviser for Skin Food.

Dong-A analyzed the Microsoft Excel file Deng had that contained the names and mobile phone numbers of 136 major Korean politicians. The file was apparently created on Min`s PC at 12:59 p.m. on June 2 last year.

At 4:09 p.m. the same day, Min printed out the file and then saved in on the computer. The date of the file’s creation was a day after information that then Shanghai Consul General Kim Jung-ki kept at his official residence was photographed. The findings suggest that Deng or Min created the Excel file on Min’s computer based on the photo.

The possibility that Deng used Min’s computer without his knowledge cannot be ruled out. Considering that Min appeared several times in Deng’s materials and that the two discussed purchasing an apartment, Min might have been aware of the espionage or even conspired with Deng to leak the information.

Min posed with Deng in one photo possessed by her Korean husband. Among seven Korean men who took photos with Deng, he was the only one whose identity was not confirmed.

In the photo, Min posed with Deng sitting on her side and smiling.

jhk85@donga.com jmpark@donga.com