Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
LKP in hot seat over leakage of Moon-Trump telephone talks
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea are calling for punitive measures to be taken, after Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party disclosed the contents from a telephone conversation between leaders of Korea and the United States in early May. / Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
By Yi Whan-woo
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are demanding stern punishment against a Liberty Korea Party (LKP) lawmaker who recently disclosed the contents of a classified telephone conversation between the leaders of Korea and the United States.
The case troubles the main opposition party particularly because it has emphasized the Korea-U.S. alliance and national security while criticizing President Moon Jae-in's push for inter-Korean cooperation.
Citing an unnamed source at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., LKP lawmaker Khang Hyo-shang disclosed Moon asked U.S. President Donald Trump over the phone in early May to visit Korea immediately after his visit May 25-28 trip to Japan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sees the leakage as a grave crime, saying it violates the law banning confidential diplomatic information and can undermine the credibility of Korea's diplomacy.
The ministry also says such a crime is caused by lax discipline and therefore those responsible should be punished heavily to prevent it from happening again.
The DPK filed an appeal to the prosecution to look into Khang.
It is separately asking the LKP to expel Khang from both the party and the National Assembly, saying Khang risked Korea's diplomatic trust with a traditional ally for his own political interest.
“We're taking the case very seriously,” Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters, Saturday, after returning from France. “I feel heavy responsibility for the ministry losing public trust.”
The embassy official went to the same high school as Khang.
The foreign minister said “It is hard to rule out the possibility” the embassy official leaked the diplomatic details intentionally to Khang.
“We're looking into the case and taking punitive measures accordingly,” she added.
She turned down the LKP's argument that the leakage was for the people's right to know of the Moon administration's “begging diplomacy.”
Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young, during his inauguration ceremony, Friday, said the ministry is in “an emergency situation.”
“We'll take punitive measures promptly to restore public trust in the foreign ministry as quick as possible.”
Cho pledged to restore discipline, saying it appears to have become loose while he away from the ministry for the past five years. Cho served as the head of Korea National Diplomatic Academy, a think tank under the wing of the foreign ministry.
The DPK's top spokesman Hong Ihk-pyo criticized the LKP for risking the Korea-U.S. alliance.
Hong said this is because the party, along with Khang, hopes to create a rift between the governments of the two allies for its own political interest.
“If the LKP considers itself a responsible main opposition party, it then should stop defending Khang and expel him from the party as well as the National Assembly,” Hong said.
Two retired diplomatic heavyweights raised concerns over the leakage, too.
In a radio interview, Friday, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the leakage “is something that never should have happened.”
Ban said any form of dialogue between heads of states should be announced only when the two sides agree to do so.
“This is basic in any country's diplomacy,” he said.
Chun Young-woo, former national security adviser for conservative President Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013), posted on Facebook that the LKP should expel Khang immediately.
“Leaking confidential diplomatic information is against the national interest,” Chun wrote. “And the LKP is making a big mistake by defending Khang.”
Meanwhile, the LKP said the DPK has also revealed confidential telephone talks between Moon and Trump in the past.
It said former Jung Cheong-rae “bragged” about obtaining a transcript of the Moon-Trump dialogue in January 2018 and shared it on a cable TV appearance in the same month.
On Sunday, Jung commented on Facebook he didn't share anything that Cheong Wa Dae hadn't already disclosed. He said he was “being humorous and imaginative” with the transcript, which was created from his imagination.