▲ Khalifa University, UAE, employed by ADD retiree researchers suspected of data leakage
Three weeks have passed since the Defense Research Institute's ADD Confidential Leakage case became known to the world. It has been found that some of the key suspected leaks have left Khalifa University in the UAE, leading to the emergence of advanced defense science and technology overseas. However, the road to ADD retirees to Khalifa University in the UAE, I don't want to believe, but the current government has been involved.
The fact that our government proposed to the UAE government to "take ADD retirees and take advantage of it" was revealed in the interview with former Defense Minister Song Young-moo's World Daily. ADD retired researchers followed the government's path and founded one by one at Khalifa University in the UAE. In formal terms, it is a very healthy Korea-UAE technology cooperation and technology transfer.
Normal technical cooperation and technology transfer follow strict security procedures for technology protection. If you haven't done this, it's illegal and it's a back transaction. Did ADD retirees go through these security procedures to get to Khalifa University?
They just went to the UAE. Illegal technical cooperation took place. A back transaction was carried out prior to technology transfer. It seems that the defense science and technology was taken back and passed abroad, but what is the cost? The government has to answer. However, government officials only say, "Let's watch the investigation results." I wonder if the police investigation will look into the government's illegality.
Former Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Former Defense Policy Officer Seok-joo Yeo explained that ADD retirees' UAE Khalifa University support is a defense science and technology R & D know-how support for the UAE. It means that the Korean government has made technical cooperation with the UAE government to research and develop weapons systems.
The international technical cooperation process is complex. First, we need to identify the technology we are collaborating with. If the researchers go to the other country and transfer technology, a security pledge is made to transfer only the identified technology. While the researchers go to the country and conduct technical cooperation and technology transfer, the government manages and prepares the supporting documents to ensure that they are only working on the specific technology. After cooperation and transfer, the technology is also monitored for use beyond its intended use.
If ADD retired researchers go to Khalifa University in accordance with these due process, they must have a pile of related documents in the Department of Defense's Power Resources Office. However, senior defense officials related to the defense industry said, "There are no documents at all.", "I don't know about ADD retirees," and "I'll understand."
The technical cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the UAE, such as supporting defense science and technology R & D know-how through the relocation of ADD retirees to Khalifa University, did not follow legitimate regulations and procedures. It's a ridiculously obvious government illegality, a back transaction. The Ministry of National Defense does not even grasp the incidents of others.
As pointed out several times in this report, the Korea-UAE cooperation is not an independent project of the Ministry of National Defense. It is the whole affair of the government, where the Blue House takes over the control tower, and the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs join. Supporting R & D know-how for defense science and technology through relocation of ADD retirees to Khalifa University is a government-level project beyond the Ministry of National Defense.
However, illegal acts have been carried out from the procedure, and the possibility of leaking valuable advanced defense technologies, including the core technology of the domestic guided rocket, has been raised. I'm also curious what the price for illegal back-trading is.
When responding to questions related to the ADD retirement researcher suspected of leaking, Defense Ministry spokesman Hyun-Soo Choi is likely to say "Look at the investigation results." A Defense Ministry head of the defense industry unilaterally hung up as the reporter called and asked the same question, saying, "Let's watch the investigation." I asked several questions to the Blue House officials via text message, but there is no answer.
Currently, the investigation is conducted by the Daejeon Police Agency Security Investigation Team and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Security Investigation Team. The Daejeon Security Investigation Center is focusing on retired researchers who are allegedly leaking 680,000, while the Seoul Security Investigation Service is looking into the remaining 22 suspects. Researchers who have left the UAE are subject to investigation by the Seoul Institute of Security Research.
The police are focusing on evaluating the type of leaked material and the illegality of the leaked material. ADD retirement researchers are known not to investigate the government's involvement and illegality around the UAE.
Whether it is the Ministry of National Defense, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration or the ADD, it is necessary to separately investigate the government's involvement and illegal activities of the government in Korea-UAE technical cooperation. However, a senior official at the Ministry of National Defense said, "If you didn't ask for an investigation, and if it was related to a confidential leak, I will investigate." Can the police investigate the leak of confidentiality and illegal or costly technical cooperation against the Ministry of National Defense and the Blue House?