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Trees around Gyeongbokgung Palace and Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul are turning autumn colors amid late-autumn rain on the morning of Nov. 1, the first day and first Sunday of the month. / Park Sung-il

Police have launched a preliminary inquiry into an online leak of personal information belonging to 168 people, including President Lee Jae Myung, his wife and senior government officials. The leaked data reportedly included sensitive personal information, such as passport numbers and dates of birth, of passengers aboard the presidential aircraft.

According to the National Police Agency on Nov. 3, police began a preliminary inquiry the previous day into the online exposure of a passenger list and personal information from Air Force One, the presidential aircraft.

Earlier, in June, a file titled "Passenger List (Republic of Korea–Belgium)" was posted on a paid security-related website. The file reportedly remained accessible online for approximately five months.

The file reportedly contained personal information on a total of 168 people, including President Lee and his wife, Cabinet members and other senior government officials, Cheong Wa Dae and Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff, Presidential Security Service agents and reporters covering the presidential office.

Specifically, the information reportedly included passengers' names in Korean and English, organizational affiliations and positions, as well as dates of birth, passport numbers, passport issuance dates and expiration dates.

With the personal information of the president, other senior officials and security personnel exposed to outside parties, there is a need to establish how the data was initially leaked and how it was managed.

Police are expected to examine how the file was posted online and the circumstances surrounding the personal information leak.

                                                                                                            Seol So-young