hankyoreh

South Korea and the South Korean public have been under complete surveillance from every possible direction. The scope of wiretapping around the world revealed by Edward Snowden, former contractor for the US’s National Security Agency (NSA) and the results of the Hankyoreh’s investigative reporting into the documents he leaked bring about that feeling of shock and horror.

The “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing group that was led by the US and included four other English-speaking countries was able to monitor online information for anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time. South Korea was no exception.

This snooping took place at any time that these countries deemed it necessary for their national interest, even when there was no legitimate excuse.

During the election for the World Trade Organization (WTO) director-general that took place between the end of Jan. 2013 and the end of Apr. 2013, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), a New Zealand intelligence agency that is part of the Five Eyes group, spied on the emails of candidates from eight other countries who were rivals to New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser. These candidates included Bark Tae-ho, 63, who was director of commerce and negotiations for South Korea’s then Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The tool used by GCSB was Xkeyscore, a powerful internet surveillance program developed by the NSA. In South Korea, the email networks of the Foreign Ministry and Seoul National University were both hacked.

Other countries in Five Eyes have also not hesitated to turn to surveillance for the most trivial reasons. The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), an intelligence agency in the UK, developed Flying Pig, which is able to collect even encrypted information. This was used to collect and analyze data from the servers of companies that provide secure email services in South Korea. There is no telling how much corporate information was leaked in this way.

Canada also listened in on communications at the South Korean embassy in connection with negotiations about nuclear reactors.

The NSA reportedly even hacked a program that a South Korean intelligence agency had used to hack North Korea, gaining access to information about the North. While the US treats South Korea as a partner for cooperation when it needs help, it has never hesitated to resort to surveillance when the need arises.

What made this possible was the fact that the US controls the key internet equipment and technology. In the case of routers - critical equipment that function as the junctions on the expressway of the internet - an American company controls 51% of the market. South Korea also relies on American companies for the majority of its internet equipment.

US intelligence agencies installed hacking programs on this equipment, reportedly enabling them to monitor all of the information that passed through these waypoints on the internet. For the person being hacked, this is rather like having one’s whole body under the microscope without being able to move a muscle. This is not merely a human rights violation – it is a usurpation of authority.

Despite this, there are no signs that the South Korean government has lodged a complaint or taken any kind of action. One cannot help but wonder what sort of dubious reasons might explain this lack of action.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]