US 'Wiretapping' Allegations... Will It Become a Lever for the Summit?

Gominjeong "Protest Against the US First"
Yusangbeom "Yoon Will Express Opinions Fully"
Kim Taehyo "Many of the Disclosed Information Are Forged"

With just over two weeks remaining before the South Korea-US summit, attention is focused on the potential impact of leaked confidential US documents revealing that the US government conducted wiretapping and eavesdropping on South Korea's diplomatic and security officials. While opposition parties argue that this wiretapping controversy should be used as leverage in the summit, the ruling party expects that South Korea will convey its position but will likely refrain from publicly disclosing details.

Goh Min-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on June 11th on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show', "The first step should be to lodge a protest against the US," adding, "Instead of directing anger domestically, we should continuously demand clear positions from the US so that whether or not the South Korea-US summit takes place, we can hold the initiative."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

If the wiretapping issue is confirmed as true, it would be an act that betrays trust between allied countries and could raise legal concerns, thus it could be used as a form of 'leverage' in the South Korea-US summit. Especially since South Korean companies are expected to suffer due to US policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act, the importance of South Korea's leadership has increased. Goh said, "Although we are allies with the US, there is the semiconductor issue. Rather, to protect our domestic economy and industry, we must take the lead to be on equal footing with the US."

Yoo Sang-bum, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party and the ruling party's secretary on the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, said that President Yoon Suk-yeol will fully convey South Korea's position to the US during the summit scheduled for the end of this month, but given the diplomatic sensitivity of the matter, public mention is unlikely. Yoo said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "While it won't be publicly mentioned, opinions will be sufficiently expressed," and "It will be diplomatically resolved."

Since US wiretapping has been extensively conducted on allied countries in the past, voices have also called for more time to wait for the US investigation results. Shin Won-sik, secretary of the National Assembly Defense Committee from the People Power Party, said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "If very unfavorable and uncomfortable information related to the US was reported in the Korean media, would the US Department of Defense or White House spokesperson publicly protest to the Korean government and ask 'What is the truth?'" He added, "The US also waits in such cases and does not publicly pressure the Korean government until it responds to the issue."

He continued, "When Snowden revealed the information in the past, it involved allies such as the UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Israel, Japan, and others worldwide. At that time, governments including ours asked what was going on, and the US government responded with NCND (neither confirm nor deny), and I understand that some necessary understandings were exchanged behind the scenes."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the opposition argues that even if US wiretapping of allied countries is an established fact, South Korea must speak up. Cho Eung-chun, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "The US has always tried to collect information not only on hostile countries but also on allies. Even Merkel of Germany and Macron of France were wiretapped, and Merkel protested strongly to President Obama in 2021," adding, "As a sovereign nation, we must say what we need to say."

Regarding the lukewarm response from the presidential office to the wiretapping controversy, he said, "Since the South Korea-US summit is imminent, restoring or strengthening the alliance is being presented as the greatest diplomatic priority and achievement," and criticized, "But is aggressively pursuing this issue, demanding prevention of recurrence and apologies from the US really in line with the direction of restoring the alliance? It seems they do not see it that way."

Meanwhile, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, who departed for the US to finalize arrangements for President Yoon's state visit, told reporters at Incheon International Airport before departure, "Both countries agree that a significant portion of the disclosed information is forged," adding, "the defense ministers of both countries spoke this morning, and their views are aligned."

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