"The U.S. keeps telling the Foreign Ministry through various diplomatic channels that using Huawei products could create security problems," the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.
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.
READ MORE: Who is Trump REALLY Punishing by Blacklisting Huawei?
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 licencing.
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.
