On the 10th, the Office of the President responded to the allegation that the US intelligence agency had intercepted the statements of high-ranking officials of the National Security Office, saying, “Finding out the facts is a priority.” Cleared up. However, he also said, “There is a possibility that some of the (intercepted) data may be modified or manipulated.” It is interpreted as an intention to minimize the impact on the ROK-US alliance of the unexpected bad news that emerged two weeks before President Yoon Seok-yeol’s state visit to the United States. Even so, the presidential office is strengthening internal security checks and contemplating countermeasures. It is known that the suspicion of US wiretapping was also discussed at the meeting of senior secretaries presided over by President Yoon that day.
An official from the presidential office met with reporters that day and emphasized, “(Fact-checking and requesting appropriate measures) this process will be carried out based on the trust relationship formed between the ROK-US alliance. At the same time, he said, “The information reported in the US media is not a confirmed fact.” A high-ranking official in the presidential office said, “If it is true that there was a thief and that the thief came and went, it is impossible to say ‘a thief came in’ first in a situation where it is not confirmed what was stolen.” There is no reason to say that he was robbed, even in the national interest.”
Independent measures to strengthen security at the National Security Office and the Presidential Security Service are also being reviewed. A high-ranking official in the presidential office said on the 10th, “Even in normal times, the presidential secretary’s office is extremely careful about security issues.”
In the midst of this, Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, will visit the United States from the 11th to the 15th to make last-minute adjustments on the schedule for President Yoon’s state visit to the United States at the end of this month. It is known that Korea and the U.S. will discuss the wiretapping suspicion during Deputy Director Kim’s visit to the United States. On the 10th, working-level officials, such as the North American Bureau deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also departed for Washington, the United States.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense said in a statement on the 9th (local time) that the leaked documents “appear to contain extremely sensitive security data” and that “they are reviewing the validity of the documents (distributed) that were photographed.” Reuters reported on this day.
Washington =
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.