A judge has formally sentenced Stephen Kim to 13 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in a plea bargain of leaking government secrets to a journalist, reports the Washington Post.
Kim fought the case for four years and gained much support from the Korean American community, but decided the prospect of a lengthy trial against huge government resources was not worth the risk of a 15 year sentence.
Kim was working as a senior adviser for intelligence at the US State Department, when the government accused him of leaking information about a planned nuclear test by North Korea.
This case along with others lead to criticism of the government’s aggressive prosecution of government leaks and a review of policies for reviewing leaks.
Kim’s attorney said his client was motivated by alerting the public to the dangers of North Korea’s nuclear testing.
You can read more about the implications of this case in the Washington Post.
