Atlanta, USA (CNN) — A statement issued by the South Korean presidential office claimed that the defense ministers of South Korea and the United States of America agreed that a “large amount” of information contained in the leaked Pentagon documents was “fabricated,” without providing further details. .
CNN asked South Korea’s presidential office why they believed some of the information was fabricated, and CNN cannot independently confirm whether any of the documents have been independently modified or fabricated.
South Korea said that a phone call took place between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sob, on Tuesday morning, at Austin’s request.
In that call, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Secretary Austin explained recent media coverage of the leaked documents to South Korea’s defense minister and said the United States will “closely communicate and fully cooperate” with South Korea on the issue.
CNN has not received a transcript of the call from the US Secretary of Defense’s office. CNN has reached out to the US Department of Defense for comment or a transcript of the call, but has not yet received a response.
“With regard to the alleged wiretapping of the US government, the defense ministers of the two countries agreed that a large amount of the documents were fabricated,” said the statement issued by the presidential office in South Korea. general.
The leaked documents described, in great detail, a conversation between two senior South Korean national security officials regarding the United States requesting South Korea to supply Ukraine with ammunition.
In a previous CNN report, a US official said the leaked documents “appear to be real.” Some of these documents, which US officials say are authentic, revealed the extent to which the US eavesdropped on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine.
South Korea’s presidential office noted that the current presidential office building is a military facility that has “a stronger system to prevent wiretapping” than the Blue House.
President Yun Suk-yul had pushed to move from the former presidential Blue House to the current building in Yongsan, Seoul, when he took office last May.
The office said: “Unlike the Blue House, where the president’s office, the secretary’s office and the security office were, we currently maintain an ‘iron’ security system through an integrated security system and dedicated staff.”
“We clearly state that the suspicion of eavesdropping on Yongsan’s presidential office is just false and absurd,” the statement continued.
The office criticized the main opposition party on suspicion that the move to the presidential office in Yongsan led to the wiretapping.
On Monday, South Korean opposition lawmakers called the leaked US documents a “clear violation of South Korea’s sovereignty,” and did not rule out more leaked information, noting that the process of moving the presidential office was marred by a lack of security measures.
The South Korean president is scheduled to pay an official visit to the United States on April 26, where he will be hosted by US President Joe Biden.