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| ▲ Main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (L) and floor leader Park Hong-keun (R) attend a party meeting at the National Assembly on April 10, 2023. (Yonhap) |
main opposition-US eavesdropping
DP calls on presidential office to immediately verify U.S. eavesdropping report
SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Monday urged the presidential office to immediately demand "clear information" from Washington on reports about alleged attempts by the United States to eavesdrop on top South Korean officials.
Rep. Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the DP, made the remarks in response to a New York Times report that claimed the Central Intelligence Agency eavesdropped on Seoul's internal debates about providing weapons to the U.S. for use in Ukraine.
"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," Park said.
The presidential office said Sunday it will hold necessary discussions with the U.S. and review precedents involving other countries to come up with its response.
Park requested the National Assembly to immediately convene meetings of its foreign affairs, intelligence and defense committees to discuss the matter. He asked the U.S. to issue a "polite apology" if the report is confirmed true.
DP leader Lee Jae-myung criticized the presidential office for possible security lapses.
"While it is absurd that a nation's presidential office is penetrated by eavesdropping, it is also difficult to accept eavesdropping on the offices of an ally's presidential office from a common sense point of view."
Lee said the DP will sternly respond to the issue while verifying details objectively.
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