"The Presidential Office Left Unprotected... Sitting Next to a Paper Door"

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Byung-joo MBC Radio Interview
"Presidential Office Adjacent to US Military Base, Easy to Wiretap"

Regarding the incident in which classified US military documents about the Ukraine war were leaked on social networking services (SNS), and the revelation that the US has been eavesdropping on its allies, the security issues of the Presidential Office have come under scrutiny. Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out, "Due to the rushed relocation of the Presidential Office, security measures were not properly implemented as they were pressed for time."

Kim, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 10th and said, "We have to assume that conversations inside the Presidential Office building were wiretapped or eavesdropped on," adding, "It’s like sitting right next to a paper door in old times. Even if you don’t want to hear the voices inside the room, you hear everything. That’s the current situation."

Kim pointed out that the Presidential Office is in a 'defenseless state' regarding security issues such as wiretapping and eavesdropping. He said, "Isn’t there a US military base adjacent to the Presidential Office wall?" and added, "US military bases are extraterritorial zones. So when there is a US military base about 100 meters away, it is extremely easy to wiretap or eavesdrop."

Kim Byung-joo, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He continued, "And above that, there is a building called the US military’s Dragon Hill Hotel, which is over 10 stories tall," and said, "From there, everything can be observed. That’s why since the rushed relocation of the Presidential Office to Yongsan last year, I have continuously raised concerns that the probability of wiretapping is high and that preparations should be made."

Kim said, "In the case of US military personnel, when they build secret facilities, they don’t trust Korean materials and bring the materials from the US," adding, "Currently, as the US military base is relocating to Pyeongtaek, the secret facility called the US Skip Facility took about 2 to 3 years to complete." He continued, "(The Presidential Office) moved in after only one or two months," and said, "Therefore, it is highly likely that security measures were not properly implemented, so all of these need to be thoroughly inspected and supplemented."

Furthermore, Kim said, "Since this is a violation of sovereignty, we must strongly protest to the US, analyze the cause, and demand measures to prevent recurrence," adding, "In the past, when such issues arose with the US, some countries even canceled state visits and went that far."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.