According to Yonhap News sources, officials from South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. have filed a criminal complaint against Hanwha Ocean Co. for alleged misrepresentation of facts and defamation in connection with the leak of military secrets, police said Tuesday.
They lodged the complaint with the police Friday, alleging that Hanwha Ocean intentionally distorted facts and defamed them by releasing redacted investigation records of the leak to the media, according to the police.
The employees at HD Hyundai were convicted in November of acquiring military secrets related to the Korea Destroyer Next Generation (KDDX) project and sharing them on their company server from 2012 to 2015.
Despite the conviction, the state arms procurement agency allowed HD Hyundai in February to bid on the KDDX project to build a 6,000 ton-class Aegis destroyer, saying the company’s CEO and executives were unlikely to have been involved in the incident.
Subsequently, Hanwha Ocean, a major shipbuilder and one of the biggest rivals of HD Hyundai in the naval ship market, held a series of press conferences in March to challenge the arms procurement agency’s decision and released some investigation records, including interrogation reports, as evidence of HD Hyundai’s executive involvement.
It also requested that the police investigate HD Hyundai’s executive involvement in the leak.
In their complaint, the HD Hyundai officials insisted that the investigation records released by Hanwha Ocean were intentionally excerpted and edited, and clearly contradicted their actual statements and intent.
“Our employees are suffering mental pain due to Hanwha Ocean’s unilateral disclosure of investigation records,” another HD Hyundai official said. “The company will take corresponding measures in the future.”
