South Korea’s steadfast US policy dealt a blow by reports of spying

Criticism is mounting about the Yoon administration’s support for the US amid spying claims and as others increasingly distance themselves from Washington’s demands
Many have warned Seoul against an all-in approach with the US at the cost of national interests and ties with important partners such as China

Gabriela Bernal

Published: 3:30am, 14 Apr 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

South Korea has played down potentially damaging reports that its ally, the United States, spied on the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol – instead agreeing with the US that most of the leaked information was fabricated, as Yoon prepares to visit US President Joe Biden in two weeks.

Both opposition and ruling party officials in South Korea reacted with strong criticism after leaked documents suggested the US eavesdropped on conversations at the South Korean presidential office last month.

Dozens of classified US intelligence documents have been leaked in recent days, sparking global controversy. They appear to be mainly about the war in Ukraine, but also include Iran’s nuclear weapons development, North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and missile tests, the situation in Israel and China’s evolving relationship with Russia.

With the South Korean presidential office, the subject of interest was whether it would agree to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, something the US has long wanted it to do.

The leaked documents quoted Yoon’s foreign affairs secretary as telling Kim Sung-han, then the national security adviser, that the government “was mired in concerns that the US would not be the end user if South Korea were to comply with a US request for ammunition” to replenish American stockpiles.

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party has called on the Yoon government to stand up against the US and demand “clear information” on the spying allegations.

South Korean and US missiles are displayed at the War Memorial of Korea, in Seoul, on May 26. South Korea is against sending lethal weapons to war zones. Photo: AP

“If the report is true, it would be an action that can never be acceptable between allies of 70 years, and an infringement of sovereignty and diplomatic foul play that breaks the bilateral trust head-on,” Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-keun said on Monday.

The spying allegations come at a highly inopportune time for the Yoon government, which is not only preparing for the first state visit by a South Korean leader to the US in 12 years, but has also been a firm supporter of Washington’s diplomatic and security endeavours in the region since its inauguration last May.

Since Yoon became president, he has chosen a strong pro-US diplomatic stance. This has resulted in weakened relations with China and closer ties with Japan. The latter was given a strong boost recently through the controversial compensation deal meant to “resolve” the issue of South Koreans forced into labour under Japanese colonial rule.

Throughout Yoon’s first year in office, many have criticised his unbalanced diplomacy, cautioning Seoul against taking an all-in approach with Washington at the expense of long-term national interests and relationships with other important partners, such as Beijing.

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It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time US intelligence agencies have been accused of spying on South Koreans. In 2013, leaked documents suggested the US National Security Agency had bugged the South Korean embassy in Washington. And the CIA also reportedly bugged South Korea’s presidential office back in the 1970s.

Despite the criticism, Yoon and his government have clearly chosen a side from the very beginning, with the administration repeatedly emphasising the importance of strengthening the alliance with the US and deepening trilateral cooperation with Japan. But the furore over the recent leaks is only the most recent example of how the Yoon government’s diplomatic strategy is, at best, questionable.

While Yoon is putting all his eggs in America’s basket, other countries are taking an opposite approach, increasingly distancing themselves from US demands, to forge a more independent and balanced diplomatic policy. Recent examples include Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and France.

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By closely working with China to resume diplomatic relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia is showing it has other superpower partners it can turn to for support. This comes in addition to the Saudi government’s decision to reduce the production of oil, despite US opposition.

Similarly, Israel responded archly to Biden’s suggestion that it “walk away” from its proposed judicial overhaul, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the country does not make decisions “based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends”. Brazil recently announced plans to conduct trade with China using not the dollar but their own currencies while China recently made its first yuan-settled international liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, further challenging the dollar’s hegemony.

Particularly noteworthy is French President Emmanuel Macron’s renewed call for the European Union to develop “strategic autonomy” and maintain an independent foreign policy. His latest comments were made in the wake of his visit to China, where he and President Xi Jinping agreed to “inject new vitality into China-Europe relations” and to “support a multipolar world”.

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It seems the Yoon government is out of touch with global diplomatic trends and following a path that could greatly backfire. Just as the US and other countries put their national interests first, South Korea should do the same.

As such, the government must ask itself if it is truly in the nation’s best long-term interests to blindly trust, follow and fully align itself with an ally that is very likely spying on it, while pressuring it to make decisions based on Washington’s desires with little regard for Seoul’s interests.

Maintaining an alliance of 70 years is important, but it is more important for a government to put national interests first and not allow itself to be manipulated or used for the gains of another.

Gabriela Bernal is a North Korea analyst and PhD scholar at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea