Unification Minister Chung Dong-young answers lawmakers’ questions during a plenary session of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The United States has reportedly conveyed its intention to partially restrict intelligence sharing on North Korea following remarks by South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who publicly identified Kusong, North Pyongan Province, as a suspected third nuclear facility in the North during a National Assembly session in March.
Despite the Ministry of Unification’s denial of the report, security experts have raised concerns that the issue could affect trust in intelligence cooperation between the two allies.
According to local media reports, citing diplomatic sources from both countries, U.S. officials lodged strong protests through multiple channels following Chung’s remarks, expressing concern that sensitive information may have been publicly disclosed. The report added Washington was dissatisfied that intelligence shared with South Korea appeared to have been made public and suggested the U.S. may have already taken steps to limit certain aspects of North Korea intelligence cooperation.
South Korea's Unification Ministry pushed back against the reports Friday, noting that Chung's remarks were derived from publicly available information, including reports by U.S.-based think tanks, rather than classified intelligence.
“Minister Chung referred to Kusong based on open-source information from international research institutions and media reports,” the ministry's deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong said during a press briefing, Friday. “He also mentioned Kusong during his confirmation hearing in July last year.”
Unification Ministry's deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong speaks during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Chang added that the ministry had sufficiently explained the background of the remarks to the U.S. side and Washington had expressed understanding.
“We are not aware of any protest from the U.S. side,” she said, adding the ministry maintains regular communication with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
When asked whether the U.S. had formally notified Seoul of plans to scale back intelligence sharing, Chang said, “The ministry is not aware of any such measures.”
Source: Korea Times News
