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Lawmaker Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party. (pool photo)

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo said Monday that reported eavesdropping on the National Security Office by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was the result of “a lack of proper security measures due to time pressures in the hasty relocation of the presidential office” from the Blue House to Yongsan in Seoul.

“The presidential office was defenseless,” he said.

Kim, who achieved the rank of general in the South Korean Army, made the remarks in an appearance that day on the MBC program “Kim Jong-bae’s Focus.”

“Ever since the slapdash relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan last year, we have been constantly talking about the need to prepare for the high likelihood of eavesdropping and other interception of information,” he explained.

Last Saturday, the New York Times reported on revelations that the CIA appeared to have intercepted communications by South Korea’s National Security Office on weapon aid to Ukraine.

“My understanding is that while the [presidential office] windows are [protected against interception] with eavesdropping film, the walls are not,” Kim said.

“There could have been eavesdropping devices carried in on the different lines and equipment going into the presidential office. They’re going to need to inspect all of them and take measures to fix that,” he added.

He went on to say that “the presence of a US military base around 100 meters away from the presidential office is an even bigger problem.”

“In the old days, they called that ‘sitting next to a paper wall,’” he said. “It’s the kind of thing where you can hear all the voices in the room whether you want to or not.”

He also stressed that the South Korean government should complain to the US and insist on measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring down the road.

“This is an infringement of sovereignty, and we need to protest vehemently, analyze the causes, and demand preventive measures against it,” he said.

“There have been cases in the past of countries canceling state visits when this sort of issue has happened with the US,” he added.

Appearing on the SBS program “Kim Tae-hyeon’s Politics Show,” fellow Democratic Party lawmaker Park Kwang-on said, “The administrations’ attitude right now is highly inadequate to win the public’s understanding.”

“Before any discussions [with the US on the interception], we need to have a clear position from the administration,” he insisted. “We need an unambiguous statement of the position that this was a violation of sovereignty.”

In an interview on the BBS radio program “Jeon Yeong-sin’s Morning Journal,” Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Ihk-pyo said, “Once we have verified the facts in this issue, we should object via diplomatic channels.”

“I think the right diplomatic action here would at least be to summon the US ambassador to South Korea for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey a message of protest and take measures to prevent a re-occurrence,” he continued.

“But given how submissive the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has been toward the US and Japan and how much it’s been taking its cues from them, I’m not sure they’re going to bring it up,” he said.

By Joh Yun-yeong, staff reporter

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