US alleged to have eavesdropped on foreign embassies

Posted on : 2013-07-02 11:29 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
S. Korean embassy in Washington not taking action on unverified newspaper report and intelligence interception
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By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent and Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter

Japan and some European countries are demanding an immediate explanation from Washington about alleged eavesdropping and interception of electronic documents in their US embassies by US intelligence organizations.

Meanwhile, South Korea is remaining cautious, describing the allegations on July 1 as “unverified.” Experts attributed the Foreign Ministry’s caution to the lack of details in the report, printed in Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, on how or when the South Korean embassy would have been monitored or what information might have leaked. The Blue House made obvious attempts to avoid any kind of official response, which was read as reflecting both the sensitive nature of the situation and consideration for the US’s status a national ally.

Even the South Korean embassy in Washington, which was allegedly the subject of intelligence interception, said the time was not right to demand an explanation from the US.

“The report in The Guardian is still unverified, so we can’t really issue any official response,” a diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

But the embassy did say it plans to reexamine its technology for detecting when it is being tracked, along with its anti-tracking equipment. Currently, the embassy uses an encrypted dedicated line network when exchanging confidential information with headquarters at the Foreign Ministry.

Blue House spokesperson Kim Haeng avoided giving any specifics on the case. “As far as I know, the Korea Internet & Security Agency and the civilian-government-military joint cyber response team responded appropriately according to protocol,” she said.

Many diplomats in Washington are saying the US crossed the line with its intelligence gathering tactics. According to some, intelligence collection from foreign embassies is something that occurs all around the world.

But many have demanded an investigation and proactive response, saying the US had overstepped the bounds of conventional intelligence collection by eavesdropping on its own allies’ embassies.

 

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