(Graphic by Park Ji-young/The Korea Herald) The Supreme Court has recently confirmed the five-year prison term for a Chinese national for attempting to steal South Korea's military secrets by bribing active soldiers.The defendant was convicted of violating the Act on South Korea's Military Secret Protection for conspiring with a Chinese intelligence agent in an attempt to procure military secrets between May 2024 and March 2025. Forfeiture of 4.57 million won ($3,164) was also confirmed by the country's top court.While the first-instance ruling said the incident posed a grave danger to the country's safety, it took into account that no military secrets were actually leaked.The accused sought out active-duty soldiers on social media chatrooms and offered them money in exchange for information.According to the prosecution, the defendant sent devices such as spy cams installed in watches, instructing the data to be sent without meeting face-to-face. The active soldiers took photos of military documents, such as the plans for Seoul-Washington joint military drills, to be handed over to the defendant.The defendant was arrested in March 2025 by an undercover investigator of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and the prosecution indicted the defendant with physical detention in April of that year.