Stephen Jin-Woo Kim is a former State Department contractor who pleaded guilty to a felony count of disclosing classified information toFox News reporterJames Rosen.[1][2] Prosecutors charged that Kim's actions indirectly alertedNorth Korea to what U.S. intelligence officials "knew or did not know about its military capabilities and preparedness."[3]
He was born on August 15, 1967, inSeoul,South Korea. His family moved to New York in 1976. He attendedFordham Preparatory School, a Jesuit school. For college he went to theGeorgetown UniversitySchool of Foreign Service (1989). He tried outWall Street but found the work did not suit him. Following that, he attendedHarvard for amaster's degree innational security (1992), and thenYale for aPh.D. indiplomatic andmilitary history (1999). He authored a book based on his dissertation.[4][5][6] He has also extensively studied philosophy and literature.[4]
After graduation, he went to work at theCenter for Naval Analyses, where he analyzed US operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. After theSeptember 11 attacks, he moved to theLawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he focused onNorth Korea. He briefed theDefense Policy Board on his work as well asHenry Kissinger,Stephen Hadley, andDick Cheney. He also worked at theOffice of Net Assessment under theSecretary of Defense, analyzing Chinese nuclear issues.[4][6]
In 2008, he went to work as a contractor at theState Department at theBureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance. There, he was Senior Advisor for Intelligence to theAssistant Secretary of State for Verification, Compliance, and Implementation. He studied North Korea's nuclear program, especially its claims of dismantling its equipment. He also participated in nuclearwar games at theNaval War College.[4][6][7]
In June 2009,[7] Kim allegedly had a conversation[8] with Rosen about North Korea planning anuclear bomb test.[9]
In August 2010, Kim was indicted by agrand jury on two charges:[10][11]
The government alleges that Kim's conversation with Rosen contained information related to the "national defense"[11][12] (793(d) does not use the word "classified"). The alleged false statements to the FBI occurred in September 2009,[7] regarding whether or not Kim had any contact with Rosen (whom he allegedly met around March 2009).[13]
Kim initially pleaded not guilty.[7] Rosen and Fox were not named in the indictment (which listed them as a "reporter" and a "news organization"), but news reports identified the parties.[9][12]
Kim was defended by prominent attorneysAbbe Lowell ofChadbourne & Parke and Paul M. Thompson and James M. Commons ofMcDermott Will & Emery.[10] One of Lowell's arguments was thatBob Woodward's bookObama's Wars contains far more sensitive information than the information Kim is accused of leaking, which created adouble standard in leak prosecution.[9] Lowell also said that the DOJ is "stretch[ing] the espionage laws" and having achilling effect on government officials communicating with the press. He also said that Kim would never do anything "for which he had any reason to believe would harm [US interests]."[12][14]
On February 7, 2014, Kim entered a guilty plea to a single felony count of disclosing classified national defense information to an unauthorized person, Rosen. His lawyer, Lowell, admitted that his client "made a decision to cross a line" and that he "should have known better." Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Harvey added that Kim "was motivated not by an altruistic purpose but by his own ego and desire for professional advancement." Before sentencing, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Kim "did lose his moral compass."[3] Kim was sentenced to a 13-month prison term.[1]
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