Seoul:A ruling party lawmaker and special adviser for peace diplomacy to President Lee Jae Myung emphasized on Monday that U.S. intelligence capabilities are "not omniscient," highlighting the importance of South Korea enhancing its own intelligence capacity.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Rep. Song Young-gil of the Democratic Party made these remarks during a parliamentary audit, amid ongoing concerns about bilateral intelligence cooperation between Seoul and Washington. He stated that U.S. intelligence assets and judgment are neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
Song underscored the critical role of intelligence assets in determining a country's fate and urged for a strengthening of Seoul's intelligence capabilities. He noted that while the South Korea-U.S. alliance is significant, their national interests do not always coincide.
He further emphasized that South Korea's military should develop self-reliant intelligence assets and judgment capabilities to avoid being drawn into conflicts. His comments seemed to counter criticism from the main opposition People Power Party, which argued that South Korea's readiness posture has been compromised due to concerns over intelligence cooperation.
Rep. Song was appointed as Lee's special adviser for peace diplomacy on October 1.