{"id":2200706,"date":"2023-04-12T18:37:19","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T09:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2200706"},"modified":"2023-04-13T18:39:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T09:39:37","slug":"why-spying-allegations-will-have-little-impact-on-the-us-south-korea-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/04\/why-spying-allegations-will-have-little-impact-on-the-us-south-korea-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Why spying allegations will have little impact on the US- South Korea alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The leaked documents appear to show that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) intercepted electronic communications between two South Korean officials: Kim Sung-han, who led the National Security Office (NSO) at the time, and presidential secretary for foreign affairs Yi Mun-hui.<\/span><\/p>\n Yi and Kim reportedly discussed the South Korean government\u2019s dilemma over requests from the U.S. and others for the ROK to ship lethal weapons to Ukraine. South Korea\u2019s <\/span>Foreign Trade Act<\/span><\/a> states its exports can only be used for \u201cpeaceful purposes\u201d and \u201cshall not affect international peace, safety maintenance and national security.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Yoon administration is likely hesitant to ship lethal arms to Ukraine because doing so without amending the law or acquiring the opposition party\u2019s cooperation would invite a political firestorm, up to and possibly including the opposition seeking impeachment.<\/span><\/p>\n In their March 1 conversation, Yi and Kim also expressed concern that Biden would raise the issue with Yoon directly, and that he would acquiesce to the request and thus, the two men speculated, would make South Korea appear as if it were caving to U.S. pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then-NSO director Kim Sung-han suggested Seoul could sell artillery shells to Poland instead, given that \u201cgetting the ammunition to Ukraine quickly was the ultimate goal of the United States,\u201d the documents show.<\/span><\/p>\n