South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol downplayed the importance Wednesday of leaked Pentagon paperwork that exposed proof of U.S. spying on his authorities.
During a joint press convention with President Biden, nonetheless, Mr. Yoon wouldn’t say whethere Mr. Biden gave him any assurances that the U.S. both didn’t spy on Seoul or wouldn’t do it once more. Instead, he known as for extra time to unravel the scenario.
“We need time to wait for the investigation results by the United States and we plan to continue to communicate on the matter,” he mentioned.
Mr. Yoon mentioned the 2 international locations are “sharing necessary information” in regards to the allegations, however didn’t present additional data.
An enormous intelligence leak earlier this month revealed Washington has surveilled its allies, together with South Korea.
The leaked papers confirmed that the South Korean National Security Council “grappled” with the U.S. final month over the Biden administration’s request to offer ammunition to Ukraine.
Seoul has by no means confirmed such a request, fearing that it might provoke Russia, whose cooperation South Korea wants to assist comprise the nuclear risk from North Korea.
Another leaked doc confirmed that senior presidential aides in Seoul feared Mr. Biden would stress Mr. Yoon to ship ammunition to Ukraine or that artillery shells that South Korea offered the U.S. would find yourself within the war-ravaged nation.
While Mr. Yoon disregarded the controversy, members of his nation’s opposition have seized on the difficulty to boost questions on Seoul’s alliance with the U.S., which has endured for 70 years.
“If it is true that they have spied on us, it is a very disappointing act that undermines the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which is based on mutual trust,” Lee Jae-myung, chief of the principle opposition Democratic Party, instructed overseas media reporters earlier this month, based on the Associated Press.
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