The United States has repeatedly called on South Korea to join a campaign against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei by avoiding using its products in the wake of Washington's decision to add the company to the list of companies considered as a threat to the US national security, South Korean media reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2019) The United States has repeatedly called on South Korea to join a campaign against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei by avoiding using its products in the wake of Washington's decision to add the company to the list of companies considered as a threat to the US national security, South Korean media reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.
"The U.S. keeps telling the Foreign Ministry through various diplomatic channels that using Huawei products could create security problems," the source told The Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
According to the media outlet, a US State Department official has recently met a South Korean Foreign Ministry official, with the two sides having discussed the use of Huawei-made equipment by South Korean operator LG Uplus. The United States, in particular, insisted that the activity of the mobile operator must be restricted in certain areas in South Korea, presumably where US military facilities are located.
US President Donald Trump issued last week an executive order adding Huawei and its 70 affiliates to a trade blacklist, thereby restricting its activity in the country. From now on, US companies are required to receive permission for trading with the telecom company. As a result, Google had to suspend business operations with Huawei, including the transfer of hardware, software and technical services, except those publicly available via open source licensing.
However, earlier this week, the US Commerce Department said in a notice posted in the Federal Register that the US government would delay the implementation of the ban on trading with the Chinese telecom giant for another 90 days.
Huawei has been accused by several countries of being sponsored by the Chinese state and spying on its behalf through its devices. Last year, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States banned the company from participating in government contracts due to security concerns. Huawei has vehemently denied the accusations.
