Revelations that the U.S. eavesdropped on South Korean officials have come at an awkward time for Seoul. The reportedly top-secret Pentagon documents that cite intelligence obtained through spying leaked just weeks before President Yoon Suk-yeol flies to Washington for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26. 

But whether or not the U.S. is spying on a key East Asian ally is unlikely to be of major importance as the two leaders celebrate 70 years of the U.S.-ROK alliance. At most, the documents are an embarrassment for both.