According to the exclusively obtained "John Mills-Steve Bannon message exchange," John Mills, the new Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, told Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist, "Tentatively, I'm the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyberspace and Digital Policy." Screen capture of the conversation.

John Mills (pictured), the new U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State who visited South Korea as part of an international election observer group around the time of the June 3 early presidential election, has suggested that his current oversight of semiconductor-related matters is temporary.

This clarifies some of the questions surrounding the role of Mills, who is widely regarded as a cybersecurity expert.

According to the "John Mills-Steve Bannon message exchange," exclusively obtained and provided to the Han-Mi Ilbo by News & Post (NNP, CEO Hong Sung-goo), a U.S.-based Korean media outlet that has a partnership with the Han-Mi Ilbo, Deputy Assistant Secretary Mills told former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, "Tentatively, I'm the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyberspace and Digital Policy."

He added, "Major focus on chips, chip partnerships (SK, TW, JP, and NL) and chip exports."

This explanation came after he requested a correction to Bannon's on-air introduction of his title as "Assistant Secretary."

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John Mills.After requesting, "Let me get the exact correct title," Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mills explained his official designation and primary responsibilities.

The question lies in what the word "tentatively" modifies. If it modifies only his role as "Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary," it could mean that he is temporarily holding the "Principal" title because the Assistant Secretary position is currently vacant, and he may drop the "Principal" prefix once an Assistant Secretary is appointed. The possibility of John Mills being promoted to the vacant Assistant Secretary position should also be considered.

Normally, an adverb at the beginning of a sentence only modifies that sentence; however, given the context—where job duties follow the explanation of a title—other interpretations are possible. This is because a shift in responsibilities could lead to a change in his role.

If "tentatively" is linked to his primary "job description," there is room for Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mills’ duties to shift to other roles within the State Department once the immediate semiconductor supply issues are resolved.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mills followed up by providing more detail to Bannon to ensure his understanding of his current duties. He explained that his work involves "ensuring a trusted chip supply chain from the nano silicon level and up."

While interpreting the word "tentatively" has its limitations, there is no reason to rule out the possibility of a job reassignment, especially considering that the U.S. government has not yet gone all-out in investigating international election fraud. NNP CEO Hong Sung-goo explained in a call with this reporter how the messages were obtained, stating, "We were able to secure the text exchange from a source."

Room for role adjustment after putting out immediate fires? A hidden mission?… "Cyber work is the main role"

After returning from his visit to South Korea as an international election observer around the time of the June 3 election, new Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mills abruptly identified Wang Huning, an advisor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as the mastermind behind global election fraud. In media interviews before joining the State Department, he emphasized that the U.S. government needs to launch a high-intensity investigation into the A-WEB (Association of World Election Bodies).

At the time, his remarks as a private citizen were met with some skepticism regarding their credibility, but his appointment to a high-ranking State Department position is expected to add weight to the interpretation that his comments were based on significant facts.

Around the time of his activities in Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive to U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide, stating, "Diplomats should not comment on elections in their host countries that could be seen as interference, unless they have received special permission." With Mills' entry into the State Department, it has become clearer that the international election observer group's activities in Korea had the tacit approval of the U.S. government.

Consequently, there have been high expectations that Deputy Assistant Secretary Mills, who believes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intervened in the South Korean election, will play a pivotal role in the Trump administration in uncovering election fraud.

Mills served in the U.S. Army and other organizations for 33 years and, after retiring as a colonel, worked as a cybersecurity expert within government bodies such as the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He has also been involved in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projects and security-related unit establishment projects in conflict zones, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia, alongside U.S. Forces Korea. He has demonstrated his professional capabilities as a kind of "contractor" as needed.

Securing the semiconductor supply chain is a top priority for the Trump administration, directly tied to controlling the CCP. President Donald Trump met with the CEO of Intel, a domestic company, on the 11th (local time). Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan had faced criticism from the U.S. Senate for investing in Chinese semiconductor companies over the past decade while managing other firms. President Trump had previously demanded CEO Tan's immediate resignation. Semiconductors are one of America’s top national security issues. The response from TSMC, a Taiwanese semiconductor company, is also a hot topic. Deputy Assistant Secretary Mills is classified as a top expert on Taiwan.

There is also an interpretation that the duties of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mills, who oversees cyberspace and digital policy, encompass everything from hacking to the manipulation of election servers. A source familiar with the matter stated, "The duty of cybersecurity means that issues like the Samsung hacking or the manipulation of election servers all fall under John Mills’ jurisdiction."

Dr. Jang Jae-eon (70, KMA 34th class, former Professor of Computer Science at the National Defense University) expressed a similar view. In a call with the reporter on the 13th, Dr. Jang said, "Titles are just numbers," adding, "I was with retired Colonel John Mills for the 10 days he was in Korea. I know he returned to the U.S. with a clear mission that is difficult to disclose publicly."

While the investigation into election fraud is gradually heating up in the U.S., the general consensus is that it is not yet the top priority. While it is a very important task for the Trump administration, the prevailing view is that they are following a process of clearing peripheral issues before tackling the core matter.

In January, when the Chinese spy ring case was a major issue, a U.S. source pointedly stated, "The Korean Peninsula issue is 4th or 5th in priority." The sequence he provided has largely played out as predicted so far. He noted, "In terms of Korean Peninsula issues, China is excluded, and the two Koreas are included." The implication is that while the Korean issue fluctuates between 4th and 5th priority, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Middle East conflict take precedence in U.S. foreign policy. The exclusion of China was interpreted at the time to mean that dealing with China has been a top priority from the start, surpassing the two Koreas.

Reporter Heo Gyeom