National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac gives a press briefing on President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to Vietnam at a hotel in Hanoi, Thursday. Yonhap

HANOI — National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac put aside concerns over the Korea-United States alliance in the wake of a series of incidents fueling wild speculation that the relationship is under strain.

“I believe it is an overinterpretation to say the current situation has resulted from accumulated signs of strain over time,” he said in reference to incidents involving Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, e-commerce giant Coupang and wartime operational control (OPCON), tangled across security, defense, diplomacy, economy and commerce.

Responsible for coordinating foreign, defense and intelligence policies within the presidential office, Wi’s made the remarks, Thursday, during President Lee Jae Myung’s state visits to India and Vietnam this week, as controversies surrounding these incidents have not let up.

Chung has been criticized for an alleged “leak” of shared U.S. intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear facilities, with the U.S. reportedly restricting intelligence sharing in part afterward.

In addition, 54 U.S. lawmakers, in a joint letter, accused the Seoul government of “discriminatory regulatory action” against Coupang, which is headquartered in the U.S. but operates primarily in Korea.

The two allies also differ over the timing of the transfer of wartime OPCON, with Korea favoring 2028 and the United States 2029.

“It is not always possible to reach full agreements on everything. Different views can exist, and therefore they must be properly coordinated,” Wi said. “Some of the current issues are among those matters, and we are working to coordinate them.”

As for the unification minister, Wi pointed to Chung and the ministry’s explanations that the disputed information was obtained through various channels, including open sources, and therefore the incident should not be seen as a leak of shared U.S. intelligence.

The national security adviser also pointed to the president rejecting allegations against Chung in a social media post, Monday.

Source: Korea Times News