hankyoreh

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo elaborates on the US’ Clean Network policy on Aug. 5. (US Embassy in Seoul website)

The US reiterated its calls for South Korea to take part in its “Clean Network” policy aimed at shutting out Chinese information technology and businesses such as Huawei. Seoul avoided an immediate response, explaining that it needed “time to consider” the situation. But as the US broadens its anti-China front, the pressure to participate appears likely to intensify.

On the morning of Oct. 14, a fifth South Korea-US senior economic meeting was held via teleconference, led by South Korean Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Tae-ho and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach. According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the two sides’ delegations held discussions lasting two hours and 40 minutes and covering a wide range of topics, including economic partnership in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, science/technology and energy, and cooperation on linking South Korea’s New Southern Policy with the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The “hot potato” appears to have been the US’ demands for South Korea to join its Clean Network. A MOFA official explained, “The US stated its existing position on the 5G Clean Network, and we related our basic position.”

“There were no concrete discussions in terms of us talking about excluding anything or [the US] telling us to exclude anything,” the official added, indicating that reference was made to the US sanctions on Huawei but that no concrete discussions took place.

The Clean Network program is a US policy announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in August, with the aim of excluding products made by Chinese companies from the 5G communication network, mobile applications, app stores, and cloud computing. Speaking about the policy at the time, Pompeo called it “the Trump Administration’s comprehensive approach to guarding our citizens’ privacy and our companies’ most sensitive information from aggressive intrusions by malign actors, such as the Chinese Communist Party.”

At root, it involves excluding market access to products from sellers deemed “untrusted” and required to comply with orders from the Chinese Communist Party -- such as Huawei and ZTE -- with the US urging its allies and the rest of the world to take part.

The State Department has even published a list on its homepage showing countries that have agreed not to use Huawei equipment, while explaining that the largest communications companies in the work, including NTT in Japan, Orange in France, and SK and KT in South Korea, are “becoming ‘Clean Telcos.’” LG U+ is currently the only South Korean telecom still using Huawei equipment, while the US has continued to urge it to stop. The South Korean government has insisted that it is not in a position to intervene with what it has referred to as a “private sector area.”

During the same meeting on Oct. 14, a MOFA official said, “The question of whether one of our telecommunications operators uses or doesn’t use a particular company’s products is a matter for private businesses to decide based on the relevant law.”

“With regard to concerns about the security of the 5G technology used in our telecommunications market, we plan to hear out the US’ concerns and continue discussing technical matters as we engage in close discussions with the US,” the official added.

MOFA announced the same day that the two sides had “expressed their positions and reconsidered matters” concerning the 5G Clean Network program -- but sources close to the meeting described the US as applying intense pressure to take part in the network. In response, the South Korean side reportedly referred to the matter as “requiring more time to consider,” stressing that it “needed more time” and “discussions with the relevant institutions and agencies” before making a decision. Its response signaled caution amid a situation where very real and heated opposition is taking shape between the US and China over the 5G communication network issue.

The meeting on Oct. 14 did not include discussions on the “Economic Prosperity Network” (EPN) that the US has reportedly been pursuing as a means of containing China economically. With the US having mentioned the policy in a meeting of related bureau director-level officials in June, the next question was whether it would also be discussed at the Oct. 14 meeting. Sources have reported that the US suspended its pursuit of the policy approach without fleshing it out further, although MOFA did not offer official confirmation.

MOFA also said the meeting included discussions in addressing vulnerabilities in the global supply network that emerged with difficulties acquiring disease prevention items amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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