(PatriotWise.com) — Leaked classified documents have revealed that the US conducts widespread surveillance on its allies, including South Korea. The documents, posted on social media in recent weeks, suggest that America had pressured Seoul to provide munitions for the war in Ukraine. South Korea’s national security advisor Kim Sung-han told the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister that a policy change would be required to comply with US demands.
An article in the Wall Street Journal last November reported that America was preparing to buy 100,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells from South Korea to provide them to Ukraine. This is a breach of the South Korean policy of not supplying lethal aid. The report also detailed a conversation between the Foreign Minister and Kim Sung-han in which the suggestion of selling the munitions to Poland as a go-between could resolve the issue.
The discussion was marked “signals intelligence” meaning it was obtained via a covert listening device or intercepted phone calls.
The leaks, which an unknown user posted on social media site Discord, could prove damaging and embarrassing for the US as details of its surveillance are laid bare. Crucial US ally Israel also featured in the revelations. One document suggests that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has encouraged protests against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while another predicts that US pressure could persuade Israel to supply weapons to Ukraine.
Perhaps as damaging were the assessments of Ukraine’s military capability. The publication that its air defenses are diminishing could prove to be particularly precarious at a time when Ukraine is preparing for a major counter-offensive at some time during the spring. One document states, “By May, most of Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure outside Kyiv and two other areas in southwestern Ukraine will no longer have air-defense cover.”
The documents also estimate that Russia has lost 189,500 and 223,000 casualties, with 35,500-43,000 men killed in action.
Social media site Discord said it is cooperating with law enforcement to uncover the source of the leak.
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