A military court on Tuesday acquitted Rep. Boo Seung-chan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) of charges of leaking military secrets while he served as the defense ministry's spokesperson. The Central District Military Court handed down the acquittal for Rep. Boo, who was indicted in July 2023 on charges of violating the Military Secret Protection Act. Boo is accused of exposing details of an undisclosed dialogue in his book that former Defense Minister Seo Wook and then U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had during their annual security talks in December 2021. At that time, he was serving as spokesperson of Seoul's defense ministry under the administration of former liberal President Moon Jae-in. On Tuesday, the court said there was not enough evidence to prove that if the military secrets linked to this case were leaked, it would pose an "evident" threat to national security. The military prosecution earlier requested that the court sentence him to five years in prison. Boo has claimed he did not leak military secrets in his book, arguing that his indictment was retaliation fo