SEOUL: South Korea said on Tuesday that information contained in a purportedly leaked US confidential document that appeared to be based on internal discussions among top South Korean security officials was “untrue” and “altered.”
Several documents have been recently posted on social media offering a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, sparking a diplomatic row between the US and some allies.
One of the documents gave details of internal discussions among South Korean officials about US pressure on Seoul to help supply weapons to Ukraine, suggesting the US could have been spying on South Korea, one of its most important allies, and inviting condemnation from the Asian nation’s lawmakers.
The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a statement that suspicions his office in Seoul was monitored are “utterly false” and that any attempts to shake its alliance with the US is an act “compromising national interest.”
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held phone talks with his South Korean counterpart on Tuesday during which the two sides agreed that much of the document on South Korea has been fabricated, Yoon’s office said.
It did not elaborate on which part of the document was untrue.
South Korea’s defense ministry said that during the phone conversation that took place at the request of Austin, the Pentagon chief explained about recent media reports on the leak and vowed to closely communicate with South Korea on the issue.
The revelation comes just weeks before Yoon is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington, on April 26.
Some lawmakers of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party expressed “strong regret” on Monday over the alleged surveillance, calling it a clear violation of national sovereignty and a major security failure of the Yoon administration.
Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea’s Deputy National Security Adviser, said the latest controversy will not have an impact on South Korea’s alliance with the US, as he departed for Washington ahead of Yoon’s visit.
“The US is the country with the world’s best intelligence capabilities and since (Yoon’s) inauguration we have shared intelligence in almost every sector,” Kim told reporters.
The document, which does not appear to have a date on it, said that South Korea had agreed to sell artillery shells to help the US replenish its stockpiles, insisting that the “end user” should be the US military. But internally, top South Korean officials were worried that the US would divert them to Ukraine.
South Korea has said its law forbids supplying weapons to countries engaged in conflict, meaning it can’t send arms to Ukraine.
Reuters has not independently verified the documents’ authenticity. US officials have said some giving battlefield casualty estimates from Ukraine appeared to have been altered to understate Russian losses.
South Korea: Leaked US intel document ‘untrue’, amid spying allegations
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South Korea: Leaked US intel document ‘untrue’, amid spying allegations
- Several US confidential documents have been recently posted on social media
- The purported leak sparked a diplomatic row between the US and some allies
Indonesia reaffirms Yemen’s territorial integrity, backs stability efforts amid tensions
- Statement comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE weapons shipment at Yemeni port city
- Jakarta last week said it ‘appreciates’ Riyadh ‘working together’ with Yemen to restore stability
JAKARTA: Indonesia has called for respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity and commended efforts to maintain stability in the region, a day after Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment from the UAE at a Yemeni port city that Riyadh said was intended for separatist forces.
Saudi Arabia carried out a “limited airstrike” at Yemen’s port city of Al-Mukalla in the southern province of Hadramout on Tuesday, following the arrival of an Emirati shipment that came amid heightened tensions linked to advances by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “appreciates further efforts by concerned parties to maintain stability and security,” particularly in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.
“Indonesia reaffirms the importance of peaceful settlement through an inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue under the coordination of the United Nations and respecting Yemen’s legitimate government and territorial integrity,” Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said.
The latest statement comes after Jakarta said last week that it “appreciates the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as other relevant countries, working together with Yemeni stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.”
Saudi Arabia leads the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which includes the UAE and was established in 2015 to combat the Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen.
Riyadh has been calling on the STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthi rebels, to withdraw after it launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops last month, seeking an independent state in the south.
Indonesia has also urged for “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral action that could impact security conditions,” and has previously said that the rising tensions in Yemen could “further deteriorate the security situation and exacerbate the suffering” of the Yemeni people.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are its main trade and investment partners in the Middle East.
