The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has responded to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s public address mentioning Chinese espionage activities involving drone photography of U.S. aircraft carriers in South Korea.
According to a transcript released by the Pentagon on Tuesday, Press Secretary Pat Ryder received two questions related to South Korea during a press briefing.
The first query addressed China’s alleged widespread espionage activities using drones to surveil U.S. aircraft carriers and military installations in South Korea, asking what message the DOD wanted to convey to Beijing.
While declining to comment on specific overseas operations, Ryder emphasized the critical importance of operational security. He stated, “I’m not going to get into any specific operations overseas other than to say we take force protection operation security very seriously. We value our partnerships with our allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region and worldwide as we work together toward our mutual security interests.”
“And so wherever there is a potential threat, we, of course, will take measures to mitigate, but I’ll just leave it there. Yes,” he added.
In his address before the impeachment vote, Yoon cited Chinese espionage as one of the reasons for considering a state of emergency declaration. He also highlighted the legal limitations of prosecuting foreign espionage under current laws: “We attempted to amend the criminal code’s espionage provisions, but the opposition party has staunchly blocked these efforts.”
Addressing concerns about potential security vulnerabilities due to Yoon’s suspension of duties, Ryder affirmed that the U.S.-South Korea alliance remains ironclad, emphasizing the continued unwavering commitment to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and highlighting that their combined defense posture remains robust.
Ryder also confirmed that on Sunday, Gen. Paul LaCamera, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command, spoke with South Korea’s acting president. During this conversation, the general reaffirmed the strength of the alliance and the commitment to pre-planned training and exercises.
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