THAAD anti-missile defense launchers are seen on a hillside in Seongju, South Gyeongsang Province, June 22, 2023. Newsis

The state auditor has referred senior officials of the former Moon Jae-in administration to the prosecution on suspicions of leaking intelligence related to the THAAD U.S. missile defense system to activists and China, an official with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.

Former National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong, former Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and two other officials who served in the preceding administration were referred to the Supreme Prosecutors Office by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) last month on suspicions of violating the Military Secret Protection Act and abuse of authority, according to the official.

The four are accused of informing activists opposed to South Korea's hosting of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system beforehand of plans by U.S. and South Korean forces to replace a THAAD battery missile in Seongju, 215 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in May 2020, leading to a scuffle between local residents and police during the actual replacement.

The four are also accused of giving an advance briefing to a defense attache at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on the details of the missile replacement operation.

The BAI suspects the Moon government leaked the information as part of attempts to delay the full deployment of THAAD, which the Park Geun-hye administration decided to host in 2016 to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Beijing fiercely opposed the deployment, claiming THAAD's radar could be used to target China, while local activists and residents opposed it over possible health hazards posed by the radar's electromagnetic waves. (Yonhap)