Leaked Documents Put S. Korea in Awkward Situation Ahead of Yoon’s State Visit to U.S.

SEOUL, April 10 (Korea Bizwire) — The leak of purported U.S. documents containing information gleaned from eavesdropping on allies like South Korea has put Seoul in an awkward situation as it came just about two weeks before President Yoon Suk Yeol goes on a state visit to Washington.

According to reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post, a set of leaked Pentagon documents shared on social media revealed that U.S. intelligence services eavesdropped on conversations at the South Korean presidential office in early March regarding whether to provide weapons support to Ukraine.

The NYT reported the documents as saying that Yoon’s foreign affairs secretary told National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han the government “was mired in concerns that the U.S. would not be the end user if South Korea were to comply with a U.S. request for ammunition.”

U.S. attempts to secretly listen to conversations of top South Korean officials, if confirmed, would represent foul play on a key Asian ally and a testament to how vulnerable the presidential office building is to spying attempts.

But mishandling the issue could raise tensions with the U.S. at a time when Yoon prepares to travel to Washington later this month for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden in what would be the first state visit by a South Korean president in 12 years.

Seoul also needs U.S. help in reining in an increasingly bellicose North Korea, including strengthening the U.S. “extended deterrence” protection of the country, and minimizing negative effects that U.S. acts on semiconductors and electric vehicles could have on South Korea’s economy.

Yoon’s office remains cautious.

“Once the two countries finish figuring out the situation, we plan to request appropriate measures from the U.S. if necessary,” a presidential official told reporters Monday.

“That process will proceed based on a relationship of trust formed between two allies.”

The official noted the reports on the leaked documents have not yet been verified as true and that a U.S. government investigation is under way.

He also pointed out most of the information contained within the purported U.S. documents is related to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with some in the U.S. suspecting some of the information was fabricated.

“If there are forces trying to exaggerate this incident ahead of the South Korea-U.S. summit or distort it to undermine the alliance, they will face the resistance of many people,” the official said.

Yoon was reportedly briefed on the matter on Sunday and ordered aides to look at the issue carefully.

The revelation that Washington wiretaps and eavesdrops on its allies came as little surprise as similar incidents have happened in the past.

In 2013, documents leaked from the U.S. National Security Agency showed the U.S. had bugged the South Korean Embassy in Washington and dozens of other diplomatic missions.

The South Korean government at the time demanded an explanation from the U.S. and reportedly received a response that Washington would review its intelligence operations.

Critics, however, accused the Yoon administration of exposing itself to eavesdropping by hastily relocating the presidential office without putting proper security measures in place.

Yoon relocated the presidential office from the former presidential complex of Cheong Wa Dae to what was then the defense ministry headquarters to help him connect better with the public.

In a radio interview on Monday, Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the main opposition Democratic Party claimed various wiretapping and eavesdropping devices could have been mixed in with other equipment during the relocation process.

“The bigger problem is that there is a U.S. military base right next to the presidential office,” he said, referring to what remains of the former headquarters of the U.S. Forces Korea.

Kim also called for reconsidering the South Korea-U.S. summit slated for April 26, claiming some countries canceled state visits following similar incidents in the past.

Presidential officials acknowledged the need to reinforce security measures at the presidential office if necessary but ruled out any connection between the relocation and the alleged eavesdropping.

“In terms of security at the presidential office building, we prepared perfectly during the relocation process, and though I can’t divulge details, we’re still carrying out regular checks on areas that you’re concerned about, and there have been no problems until now,” said the presidential official who spoke to reporters Monday.

The official went on to claim the current presidential office building is more secure than the former presidential complex of Cheong Wa Dae because the bunker there partially emerged from the ground.

(Yonhap)