President Yoon is facing criticism to find out how the US collected intelligence on their internal discussions on providing artillery shells to Ukraine. I am willing to bet people were talking on their cell phones about it which anyone can tap and listen into. It could have additionally come from using non-secure email. Anything said over a cellphone or non-secure email you may as well concede that someone can tap into it if they want to:

The presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul / Courtesy of presidential office

Revelations of alleged wiretapping of the South Korean government by U.S. intelligence is feared to overshadow President Yoon Suk Yeol’s scheduled summit with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden later this month.

Yoon is facing growing domestic pressure to demand the truth and seek an apology from Washington. But this also presents a tough choice for the president to make, since such demands could spoil the mood as the two countries are set to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their alliance during the summit.

According to The New York Times and other Western media reports, classified military and intelligence documents that have been trending online in recent weeks contain internal discussions of the South Korean government on whether to provide the U.S. with artillery shells to be used in Ukraine, violating Seoul’s policy of not providing lethal weapons.

In the documents, which were identified as being from the CIA, former presidential secretary for foreign affairs Lee Moon-hee ― referred to as Yi Mun-hui in the documents ― reported to former Director of National Security Kim Sung-han that Yoon and Biden should not speak on the phone before Seoul forms a clear stance on supplying ammunition to Ukraine. 

Lee noted that Seoul cannot go against its own stance of not providing lethal weapons. Thus, the only option is to change its stance. However, Kim raised concerns that such a move could be interpreted as a compromise between Yoon’s state visit to the U.S. and the ammunition deal, while he “suggested the possibility” of selling munitions to Poland, according to the report.

After the alleged wiretapping was revealed, the presidential office said it will “have necessary consultations with the U.S.” and “explore measures by reviewing past precedents in other countries.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

South Korea just reported their first locally transmitted case of the monkeypox:

Health authorities reported the nation’s first locally transmitted case of monkeypox Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to six.

The South Korean national, who has no recent overseas travel history, tested positive for the disease the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The person visited a hospital with a skin rash Monday and was reported to health authorities as a suspected monkeypox case Thursday.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

China spent the weekend trying to intimidate Taiwan:

China sent warships and dozens of fighter jets toward Taiwan on Saturday, the Taiwanese government said, in retaliation for a meeting between the U.S. House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The Chinese military announced the start of three-day “combat readiness patrols” as a warning to Taiwanese who want to make the island’s de facto independence permanent. The People’s Liberation Army gave no indication whether they might include a repeat of previous exercises with missiles fired into the sea, which disrupted shipping and airline flights.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday in California, adding to a series of foreign lawmakers who have met Tsai to show support in the face of Chinese intimidation. Beijing responded Friday by imposing a travel ban and financial sanctions against American groups and individuals associated with Tsai’s U.S. visit.

On Saturday, eight warships and 42 planes were detected near Taiwan, 29 of which flew across the middle line of the strait that separates it from the mainland, the island’s Ministry of Defense said. It said they included Chengdu J-10, Shenyang J-11 and Shenyang J-16 jet fighters.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I hoped nobody is shocked by the news that the U.S. collects intelligence on its allies:

The presidential office said Sunday it will hold necessary discussions with the United States following a U.S. report accusing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of intercepting South Korean government communications regarding aid to Ukraine in war with Russia.

In a report published Saturday in the U.S. (local time), the New York Times said some parts of the CIA documents, posted on a social media chat platform Discord, detailed 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 noted South Korean officials were concerned that U.S. President Joe Biden would pressure President Yoon Suk Yeol to come through and that the U.S. learned about South Korean deliberations through “a signals intelligence report.” It’s a term used by spy agencies to describe intercepted communications, from phone calls to electronic messages, according to the New York Times.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

The trilateral naval exercise was quite successful in getting the attention of the Kim regime. Lets hope many more of them are scheduled in the future:

North Korea on Thursday denounced South Korea and the United States’ latest joint military drills as an “unprecedented” war rehearsal, vowing to take “offensive” military steps against such actions.

In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Choe Ju-hyon, a critic of international security affairs, said Seoul and Washington’s “frantic” military drills have turned the Korean Peninsula into a “powder keg” that can explode at any moment.

“Our war deterrence will continue to show responsibility and confidence in its critical mission with offensive actions,” Choe said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.