There seems to be a bit of a pickle between South Korea and the United States, with reports suggesting that the Pentagon had a cheeky peek at Seoul’s weapons plans. South Koreans are not amused, to say the least, with some even demanding that the U.S. apologize for this “disappointing act” that pokes a hole in their chummy alliance.

The South Korean opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, declared that if this was true, the U.S. should say sorry, not just to the government, but to the South Korean people as well. Meanwhile, South Korea’s government is attempting to downplay the leak, claiming that some of the documents were just made-up stuff. But they’re staying mum on which parts are real or fake.

This leak has caused quite the kerfuffle in South Korea, more so than in other countries that have found themselves in similar situations. No worries, though, the U.S. State Department is apparently “engaging with allies and partners at high levels” to smooth things out, albeit without getting into specifics.

The juicy bits in the leaked documents involve some intriguing tidbits about South Korea, such as: providing artillery ammunition to Ukraine, concern over President Biden pressuring South Korea, and selling a whole bunch of artillery shells to Poland. Officials, however, are denying the accuracy of the information.

Some other spicy details in the documents include a timetable for sending artillery shells from South Korea to Ukraine or Germany. There are questions around whether these shells come from U.S. military stockpiles in South Korea, or if the U.S. is topping up its supply through purchases from South Korea. It’s like a weapons shopping spree!

The FBI is now running around trying to figure out the source of the leaks, while the U.S. acknowledges the documents seem to be the real deal. But, they also insist at least one has been tampered with in true spy movie fashion.

The South Korean government now wants everyone to know it has top-notch anti-spying measures, and is accusing opposition lawmakers of spreading falsehoods just to garner votes. In their words, it’s like shooting oneself in the foot and damaging their own alliance amid North Korea’s antics.

The leaks also talk about how North Korea showed off some impressive missile launchers during a military parade in February. However, the documents imply that these may be more for show than real muscle, stating the country likely won’t have operational missiles capable of striking the U.S. within the next year. One wonders if North Korea is suffering from a case of missile envy./n/n Serious news: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/11/world/russia-ukraine-news