The operator of a South Korean cryptocurrency investment firm has been sentenced to five years in prison for collecting information on North Korean defectors under orders from a DPRK agent.

The Seoul Central District Court imposed the sentence to a man surnamed Lee on Aug. 28, after he was found guilty of violating the National Security Act, a court spokesperson told NK News on Monday. 

Lee will also be barred for five years from serving as a director or auditor of a corporation and as a civil servant.

ROK courts routinely omit the full name of defendants, citing privacy concerns.