Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Russia or China possibly behind 'altered' Pentagon documents: US experts
An activist waves a "red card" to protest the U.S.' alleged spy operations on South Korean security officials in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
'We should not be shocked or let it damage Seoul-Washington alliance'
By Jung Min-ho
As the United States' alleged attempt to spy on South Korea's top security officials is feared to raise trust issues between the two allies just two weeks before a summit in Washington, D.C., some U.S. experts are raising the possibility of a third country's role in leaking the classified Pentagon documents.
Much of the story remains unclear: U.S. officials are investigating how the documents ended up recently on social media, including the source of the breach and the motive. Given that the leaked information is largely relevant to Russia's war in Ukraine and could damage efforts by the U.S. and its allies in that conflict by sowing distrust, Moscow and its partners are among the suspected perpetrators, experts contacted by The Korea Times said Wednesday.
“There is the possibility that Chinese or Russian intelligence officials hacked some sort of U.S. intelligence-gathering operation and leaked the most damaging information or twisted the context to their advantage,” Harry Kazianis, president of Rogue States Project, a think tank, said. “U.S. intel experts may have accidentally tripped over allied plans or calls in that effort and China or Russia leaked it ― that is possible.”
Robert Manning, a distinguished senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a think tank, also said the possibility of Russian hackers' role in leaking and doctoring the documents should not be ruled out.
“From what we know, the leaked documents appear legitimate, although some look doctored ― like the purported number of Russian war dead,” he said.
Altering the documents would be consistent with Soviet and Russian information operations and effective information operations usually include a mixture of truth, disinformation and misinformation, experts say.
These assessments echo that of Kim Tae-hyo, deputy director of the National Security Office. Speaking to reporters at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, he said a third party was likely involved in the leak and a considerable amount of what was written in the papers was fabricated. He added that there has been no evidence that Washington “did it with some kind of malicious intention toward us.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, listens as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint press conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. Reuters-Yonhap
In his first public comment since the leak, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed to find the source of the breach, saying that his officials “will continue to investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it.”
Yet none of the experts were surprised by the spying part of the news. Although the recent intelligence breach is concerning, damaging and unfortunate in many ways for the U.S. and its allies, it would be naive to assume that the U.S. is not engaged in such spy operations and it is probably not the only player, they said.
“When it happens between allies and partners, questions are often raised about trust between them. But all countries, including allies and partners, keep tabs on each other ― that is the nature of international relations,” Terence Roehrig, a national security professor at the U.S. Naval War College, said.
“Yet, U.S.-South Korea ties are grounded in numerous important common interests and Seoul and Washington will eventually get past these revelations though it will take some time.”
Nevertheless, President Yoon Suk Yeol may bring up the issue in Washington, D.C., when he meets U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26, and it would be appropriate for him to do so, Manning said.
However, experts said the issue should not mar the bilateral alliance.
“I think that, in a broad sense, the U.S. intelligence community spies on everyone ― friend, and foe. They do this for a simple reason: They have the capabilities to do so,” Kazianis said. “I don't think the U.S. intelligence community is specifically targeting South Korean officials ― I think that would be a mistake and wrong.”
“All nations that have deep interests in each other's actions spy to some extent on each other. That does not mean the alliance is not strong or they are not true allies ― it is simply how the game is played as both sides seek advantage. We should not be shocked or let it damage the alliance. It is just a part of geopolitics,” he added.