Kim Byung-gi "The Biggest Problem Might Be Security Breach by US, Japan, China, and Russia..."

Former NIS Member and Opposition Lawmaker's KBS Radio Interview
"No Control Over Personnel and Materials During Yongsan Construction"

Regarding the U.S. government's wiretapping and eavesdropping allegations, Kim Byung-gi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised his voice, saying, "The biggest problem with this wiretapping incident is that we do not know which country or to what extent we have been wiretapped."

On the 12th, Kim appeared on KBS Radio's 'Joo Jin-woo Live' and stated, "When it comes to wiretapping, the U.S., Japan, China, and Russia all possess technology far more advanced than that of the Republic of Korea," adding, "It is possible that we have been compromised by all four countries: the U.S., Japan, China, and Russia." Kim, a former member of the National Intelligence Service, previously raised security concerns by revealing photos of the presidential office construction site during the confirmation hearing of Defense Minister nominee Lee Jong-seop in May last year.

Kim Byung-gi, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He explained, "At the time of the Yongsan relocation, there was no control over personnel, and there was absolutely no control over materials during the Yongsan construction," adding, "Because of this, it was relatively very easy to implant wiretapping devices in the materials. For example, if they succeeded in embedding devices in desks or walls, it would not only be difficult to detect but also semi-permanent, cost-free, and capable of transmitting information in real time."

Regarding countermeasures after wiretapping and eavesdropping, Kim said, "Either demolish the building and relocate the U.S. military base, or if that is not possible, move the location of the presidential office," adding, "In 2005, when the U.S. completed the Russian embassy, they used that method after wiretapping allegations arose. The building was fully constructed but was demolished and rebuilt."

Concerning Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office’s remark about 'wiretapping without malice,' Kim criticized, saying, "In the world of intelligence, there are no allies or enemies. There is only national interest," and added, "If it aligns with national interest, it is good; if not, it is evil. This is the nature of the intelligence community, but here, the concept of intelligence is completely misunderstood."

Furthermore, Kim said, "Currently, this issue is being raised in the National Assembly and various committees, but even if the government does its best, it is not easy to find evidence of wiretapping," explaining, "Because the efforts for wiretapping and counter-wiretapping are proportional."

He continued, "Therefore, if the wiretapping efforts and capabilities of the U.S., Japan, China, and Russia are superior to ours, even if we conduct counter-wiretapping inspections, the possibility of discovering wiretapping devices is correspondingly lower. So just because we haven't found anything doesn't mean it doesn't exist," emphasizing, "If there is even a 1% chance, we must consider it as 100% and make judgments accordingly."

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