hankyoreh

The flag of the presidential office of Korea stands behind an empty podium. (presidential office pool photo)

Despite revelations that America’s CIA was apparently spying on conversations that took place within South Korea’s National Security Office (NSO), neither President Yoon Suk-yeol nor his office had expressed any criticism or demanded an apology from the US government as of Monday.

Instead, the presidential office is trying to water down the scandal, citing possibilities that the leaked documents could have been manipulated and calling for the facts to be verified first. The government’s kowtowing attitude has invited criticism not only from the political opposition but also from within the ruling party.

While Yoon had the chance to make official remarks on the issue on Monday at meetings with senior secretaries or with the prime minister, he chose not to. Instead, his comments remained limited to establishing the rule of law in industrial relations and emphasizing the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry.

The presidential office’s stance is that the priority must be to determine the authenticity of the leaked documents.

“What has been reported in US media are not confirmed facts. As the US Department of Defense also requested an investigation by the Department of Justice, finding out the facts is the top priority,” a key official in the presidential office told reporters on Monday.

The presidential office also raised the possibility of the content of the documents being falsified.

“Most of the supposedly leaked documents from the US are related to the war between Russia and Ukraine. The US also brought up the possibility that some of the leaked information may have been modified or manipulated. We cannot rule out the possibility that the intentions of certain forces were involved,” the official said.

“If there are forces who want to weaken the alliance by exaggerating or distorting this incident ahead of the South Korea-US summit, they will face the resistance of many citizens,” the official added, trying to keep critics in check.

In fact, the presidential office is shelving any call for the US to take appropriate measures.

“After the situation has been assessed in both countries, we plan to demand appropriate measures from the US if necessary,” the administration official said.

The cautious self-abasement by the presidential office more than likely has to do with Yoon’s upcoming state visit to the US and his summit with US President Joe Biden scheduled for April 26.

In other words, as it tries to highlight the diplomatic and security achievements related to the strengthening of the South Korea-US alliance through this state visit, the presidential office is making efforts to minimize the repercussions of the recent revelations.

Since taking office, Yoon has actively participated in the US strategy to contain China based on trilateral cooperation involving Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

The recent third-party reimbursement deal the Yoon government proposed to Japan to “resolve” the issue of Japanese colonial-era forced labor — a plan that forwent an official apology from Tokyo or having complicit companies participate in compensation — is also a product of the administration’s efforts trying to strengthen security ties with the US.

In a phone call with the Hankyoreh, a high-ranking presidential office official said that the current developments “are not something that will damage South Korea-US relations.”

“The relationship between South Korea and the US is much closer than many think,” they said, adding that “the US will take steps to reaffirm the relationship of trust between the two countries.”

However, it’s worth noting that the attitude of the Yoon administration is very different from that of other countries also targeted by US-led wiretapping operations in the past. In October 2013, for example, countries including Germany, France and Brazil strongly protested Washington’s actions, condemning wiretapping by the NSA as “unacceptable.”

In particular, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany publicly called out the US on this issue at an EU summit held in Belgium in 2013, saying that “spying between friends is unacceptable.”

Criticism of the presidential office’s attitude regarding this issue is pouring in from both sides of the aisle.

Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, urged the administration to “immediately demand the US government for specific information on the classified documents and the authenticity of the reports.”

Similarly, Lee Jeong-mi, head of the minor progressive Justice Party, accused the Yoon administration of actions motivated by trying to not upset the US, calling instead for the government to immediately demand the US reveal the truth, apologize, and promise to prevent a recurrence.

There was even criticism coming from within the ruling People Power Party, with former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min calling the government’s stance “pathetic and highly servile” on Sunday and lawmaker Ha Tae-keung calling on the government to “strongly protest against the US government and demand an apology.”

Meanwhile, the presidential office announced that Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the NSO, would visit the US from Tuesday through Saturday to prepare for the upcoming South Korea-US summit.

By Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter; Um Ji-won, staff reporter; Sun Dam-eun, staff reporter

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