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`S. Korea not to use Chinese telecom equipment for communication with U.S.`

`S. Korea not to use Chinese telecom equipment for communication with U.S.`

Posted February. 15, 2014 03:28,   

한국어

Amid rising tensions between the United States and China over information security, a major U.S. newspaper reported Thursday that Washington`s quiet lobbying campaign against South Korea`s introduction of telecommunication equipment from China`s Huawei Technologies Co. proved "successful."

The political circles in Washington have warned that the introduction of Huawei`s equipment by LG Uplus Corp, South Korea`s third-largest mobile carrier, in establishing key telecommunications networks would pose a threat to the Seoul-Washington alliance, citing concerns over the possibility that the equipment could be used to intercept military-to-military communications between the two allies.

"Since the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK is one of our clients, we plan to fully reflect the U.S. request (that Huawei`s equipment not be used in communications involving the USFK," said an official at LG Uplus.

Prior to LG`s decision, the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior U.S. official as saying that South Korea had decided to change its plan to build the next-generation long-term evolution network by importing Huawei`s equipment. The official was also quoted as saying that Seoul would not use Huawei`s equipment in major communications with the U.S. or the USFK`s communication won`t pass through Huawei equipment.

"It does not mean that we have entirely given up introducing Huawei`s equipment because we do not plan to build our nationwide 2.6 GHz networks with it," an LG Uplus official said.