In response to US surveillance charges, South Korea calls a leaked US intelligence dossier "untrue."

Reuters, April 11, 2019 - The material in allegedly leaked U.S. private documents, which seemed to be based on internal conversations among top South Korean officials, is "untrue" and "altered," a senior South Korean security official claimed on Tuesday.

The statement, which emphasized that the two nations' relationship remained solid, was issued by Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo as he left for Washington ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United States on April 26.

A number of documents, some dating back a month, have lately surfaced on social media, providing a partial picture of the conflict in Ukraine. One of these documents includes information on internal talks South Korean officials had over U.S. pressure on Seoul to assist with the delivery of weaponry to Ukraine.

The report on South Korea is "untrue," Kim told reporters, adding that "the two countries have a similar assessment that much of the information disclosed is altered."

He did not specify what information in the document was false.

According to the paper, which doesn't appear to have a date, South Korea had agreed to send artillery rounds to the United States in order to assist it restock its stocks. South Korea insisted that the "end user" should be the American military. However, senior South Korean officials were concerned internally that the US might send them to Ukraine.

According to South Korea, sending weapons to a country at war is against the law, hence it cannot deliver weapons to Ukraine.

According to the American assessment, which looked to be partially based on signals intelligence, the United States may have been snooping on South Korea, one of its most crucial allies.

The validity of the papers has not been independently confirmed by Reuters. Some reports on Ukrainian battlefield casualties looked to have been changed to minimize Russian losses.

The most recent information, according to Kim, won't have an effect on South Korea's partnership with the United States.

Since (Yoon's) inauguration, we have exchanged intelligence in practically every field, according to the United States, which has the greatest intelligence capabilities in the world, Kim claimed.

Prior to that, South Korea's defense ministry said that Tuesday's phone conversations between U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart included recent media reports on the leak of secret U.S. papers.

The Pentagon chief promised to closely communicate and work with South Korea on the matter during the phone call, which was initiated by Austin, the ministry said.