Defense Minister Shin Won-sik issued an apology for the alleged leaking of agents' identities to Chinese hackers by a Defense Intelligence Command official. He expressed regret for the public disclosure of the leak and the ensuing disputes among senior intelligence officials. Additionally, a Democratic Party of Korea representative claimed that a similar leak had occurred the previous year, suggesting that if it had been properly addressed at the time, the recent incident may have been prevented. Minister Shin indicated that he was unaware of the prior leak and deferred a response. In response to the allegations, the Defense Counterintelligence Command referred the accused officer to prosecutors for violating laws on the protection of military secrets. Furthermore, there is growing consensus in the National Assembly to expand laws targeting foreign espionage beyond North Korea. Lawmakers are calling for legislative changes to address outdated laws that make South Korea vulnerable to spying by foreign entities other than North Korea. Additionally, a bipartisan bill was introduced aiming to establish a South Korean equivalent of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, requiring individuals working for foreign governments to register with the South Korean government and disclose their information.