Posted on 03/21/2006 11:17:07 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
(AFX UK Focus) 2006-03-21 10:10 GMT:
France's Thales worker arrested for stealing SKorean military secrets - UPDATE
Article layout: raw
(Updates with Thales statement, quotes, details)
SEOUL (AFX) - A Frenchman working for defense company Thales has been arrested for obtaining South Korean military secrets, prosecutors said.
The French businessman and two South Koreans were held for obtaining confidential documents concerning radar equipment for the South Korean Navy, a prosecution official told Agence France-Presse.
The prosecutors' office in the central city of Daejeon refused to identify the Frenchman. He was described as an executive with the South Korean branch of Thales, the French defense and commercial electronics group.
"Three people were arrested and charged with obtaining military secrets, including a Frenchman," the prosecution official said.
The Frenchman was accused of obtaining classified information from a researcher at South Korea's Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the government-run research organization.
ADD is responsible for developing a radar system for South Korea's new generation of warships.
The information was allegedly obtained by the Frenchman through a Korean consultant who was a former ADD official.
The prosecutors' office said the consultant and researcher were arrested for leaking confidential documents.
Thales said in a statement that it regretted the decision by South Korean prosecutors to arrest their employee.
"Thales is surprised by and regrets the decision ...," the firm said in a statement.
"Thales believes that it has fully complied with all relevant Korean regulatory procedures. We have been fully co-operating with the investigation."
"Thales believes that positive outcome to this incident will be reached and that its good faith will be recognised in this case. The group will continue to co-operate as the investigation moves forward."
South Korea's navy is planning to develop a new radar system for a new generation of warships. Foreign defense suppliers such as Thales were expected to be involved in bidding for lucrative contracts to supply parts and related equipment.
The statement from Thales said the French company had invested heavily in South korea and maintained "the very best of relations with its Korean military customers ..."
lim/cw/mtp/dk
Ping!
That's gonna hurt their chances.
In whose interest, I ponder?
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