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.
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You can read more about the implications of this case in the Washington Post.
