AN Indonesian engineer (WNI) is suspected of stealing data in the joint project for the KF-21 fighter aircraft with the Korean Aerospace Industry (KAI). As a result of this suspicion, the Indonesian citizen is currently being questioned and questioned by the South Korean government.
“There are no final results or conclusions from this verification. Therefore, it is too far to call this a case of data theft,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lalu Muhamad Iqbal in his statement, Friday (15/3).
According to Iqbal, his party, through the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Seoul, is monitoring the status of Indonesian citizens involved in the development of the KF-21 in South Korea. So far, Ginseng State authorities are investigating the information of two Indonesian citizens in this case.
“The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul has continued to monitor and assist the person concerned since this case emerged,” he concluded.
Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Indonesian technicians had been involved in this joint project since 2016 and already knew the work procedures and applicable rules. The KF-21 project is a strategic project for Indonesia and South Korea.
Both countries will manage various problems that arise in this cooperation as best as possible. The Indonesian engineer was temporarily detained to undergo an investigation process by the investigative team from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC).
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“A joint investigation consisting of related agencies, including the National Intelligence Agency, is currently conducting an investigation to investigate the theft of KF-2 technology data by Indonesian engineers,” said a DAPA official as reported by the Korea Times.
DAPA released a report that Indonesian engineers stole information on the technology for manufacturing the advanced KF-21 fighter jet and stored the data on a USB. The engineer accused of stealing KF-2 technology is an Indonesian scholar assigned to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to assist South Korea in developing technology for the KF-21 fighter jet which will be produced at the end of 2024 and launched in 2025.
The development of this technology is a strategic project between Indonesia and South Korea. Indonesia has agreed to cover 20% of the total project costs or around 1.7 trillion won or US$1.3 billion. Indonesia must complete these payments by 2026.
Through this agreement, Indonesia obtained eight KF-21 Boramae fighter jets which have now entered the Engineering Manufacture Development (EMD) stage. However, since 2019 the Indonesian government has only been able to pay off 227.2 billion won and still has arrears of around one trillion won due to budget shortfalls.
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