South Korea to discuss ‘issues raised’ from leaked documents with U.S.

On Sunday, a South Korean presidential official stated that the country is aware of news reports regarding the leak of several classified U.S. military documents. The official announced that South Korea plans to discuss the “issues raised” with the United States as a result of the leak. Recently, several classified U.S. military documents were posted on social media, providing a partial, month-old snapshot of the conflict in Ukraine, according to three U.S. officials who spoke with Reuters on Friday. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the leaked documents contain details about internal discussions among top South Korean officials regarding U.S. pressure on the country to help supply weapons to Ukraine. The South Korean government agreed to sell artillery shells to help the United States replenish its stockpiles, insisting that the “end user” should be the U.S. military.

However, top South Korean officials were concerned that the United States would divert the artillery shells to Ukraine. The South Korean presidential official declined to respond to questions about U.S. spying and did not confirm any details from the leaked documents. The official also did not state if South Korea planned to demand an explanation from the United States, but mentioned that the government would review precedents and cases involving other countries. The documents provide detailed information about the Ukrainian battlefield, use of U.S. weapons by Ukraine, and the training of Ukrainian troops. The leak also included a new batch of classified documents detailing U.S. national security secrets from Ukraine to the Middle East to Asia, including information about the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa, Israel’s pathways to providing lethal aid to Ukraine, and intelligence about the United Arab Emirates’ ties to Russia.

Sources: CGTN

Photo Credit: Times of India