Kim Tae-hyo on Wiretapping Controversy: "Significant Portion of Public Information Forged... Korea-US Assessments Align"

3-Night 5-Day US Visit for Pre-Coordination of Korea-US Summit Agenda
Deputy Director Kim: "Korean Content in Document Does Not Match Facts"
Strengthening Information Sharing with US... Trust Expected to Increase Through This Opportunity

Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, evaluated on the 11th regarding the U.S. wiretapping and eavesdropping allegations, stating, "There is a consensus that a significant portion of the disclosed information is forged."

Deputy Director Kim, while departing through Incheon International Airport for a visit to the United States that morning, told reporters, "After this issue became known, we internally evaluated it, and the U.S. must have conducted its own investigation so far. There was a call this morning between the defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S.," he said.

He added, "However, since this is a domestic issue for the U.S., they will start to identify the circumstances and the forces behind it through the Department of Justice, so it will take some time. Therefore, you can see that the evaluations between South Korea and the U.S. are consistent," implying that the contents related to South Korea in the documents do not align with the facts.

He also mentioned strengthening the intelligence alliance with the U.S. Deputy Director Kim said, "Since the two countries have an intelligence alliance, we are closely conducting intelligence activities together on important issues in the intelligence domain," and added, "We plan to use this incident as an opportunity to further solidify trust and strengthen the cooperative system between the two countries."

When asked, "If there is consensus that the information is fabricated, what position will we convey to the U.S. side?" Deputy Director Kim replied, "There is nothing to do because someone forged it," and said bluntly, "The internal investigation will take some time, and that is not the purpose of my visit to the U.S."

He also made it clear that the U.S. wiretapping controversy cannot become a variable in the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Deputy Director Kim emphasized again, "The U.S. has the world's strongest intelligence agencies, and for the past 11 months since the inauguration, the two countries have shared information in almost all areas," and said, "Because we conduct important intelligence activities together, gaining and utilizing such U.S. capabilities and capacities is a great asset, and I believe this opportunity will further strengthen the trust between the two countries."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the purpose of this visit to the U.S., he said, "Right after the inauguration in May last year, the two heads of state announced a vision for a global comprehensive strategic alliance, and for a year, we have been jointly considering how to practically develop the alliance in various fields," adding, "With President Yoon's state visit this time, we will finalize efforts to advance the agreements made last May into actions and ensure good outcomes in cooperation across various fields."

When asked whether the permanent deployment of nuclear strategic assets for extended deterrence would be specifically announced, he answered, "It is not yet at a stage where it can be disclosed."

He also said, "There are specific topics across economic security, military security, and socio-cultural issues, but I cannot speak to ongoing issues in advance to the media," adding, "We will finalize discussions carefully to ensure there are no gaps and that the content desired by our national interests and citizens is conveyed clearly."

Regarding reports that a ruling party official mentioned additional sharing of North Korean intelligence as a way to confirm trust with the U.S., he responded, "You can see it as an opportunity to strengthen intelligence sharing between the two countries."

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