A trove of secret Pentagon documents has appeared on social media in recent days and shows just how deeply the U.S. has penetrated Russia’s military and intelligence services. They also reveal that the U.S. appears to be spying on some of its closest allies, including Ukraine, Israel and South Korea.
In the pages posted online, there are at least two discussions about South Korea’s internal debates about whether to give the U.S. artillery shells for use in Ukraine, violating Seoul’s policy on providing lethal aid. The newspaper said that South Korea had agreed to sell artillery shells to help the United States replenish its stockpiles, insisting that the "end user" should be the U.S. military. But internally, top South Korean officials were worried that the United States would divert them to Ukraine.
Another section of the documents, from the C.I.A., is more explicit about how the United States has learned about the South Korean deliberations, noting the information was from “a signals intelligence report.”
"The secret report was based on signals intelligence, which meant that the United States has been spying on one of its major allies in Asia," the New York Times reported.
The South Korean presidential official, speaking to reporters, declined to respond to questions about U.S. spying or to confirm any details from the leaked documents. Asked if South Korea planned to lodge a protest or demand an explanation from the United States, the official, who declined to be identified, said the government would review precedents and cases involving other countries.
The leak of purported U.S. documents containing information gleaned from eavesdropping on allies like South Korea has put Seoul in an awkward situation as it came just about two weeks before President Yoon Suk Yeol goes on a state visit to Washington.
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