Seoul says it explained to US background of unification minister's remarks on North Korea's nuclear facility in Kusong
Seoul, April 17
The South Korean unification ministry has explained to the United States that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young identified North Korea's Kusong region as the third location housing a uranium enrichment facility based on publicly available information, officials said Friday.
In a rare revelation of information about North Korea, Chung said in a parliamentary session in March that North Korea is running another uranium enrichment facility in the northwestern region of Kusong, along with previously reported ones in Yongbyon and Kangson.
The local newspaper DongA Ilbo reported the US has strongly protested to South Korea over Chung's remarks, citing the revelation of sensitive information about the North. It said Washington has delivered its intent to limit sharing information with Seoul over North Korea.
The unification ministry said Chung pointed to Kusong as the North's third location housing a nuclear facility based on publicly available information.
"We've adequately explained to the US the background of the minister's remarks. We understand that the US is also aware of it," Chang Yoon-jeong, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.
"We also understand that we've not received any information about Kusong from other institutions," she stressed.
In regard to the news report on Washington's protest, the deputy spokesperson said that the ministry explained the background of Chung's remarks to the US Embassy in Seoul at the request of the embassy, Yonhap news agency reported.
"We are not aware of the US side's protest," Chang said, adding that the ministry also does not know about whether there are restrictions of information sharing between South Korea and the US.
The newspaper, citing sources in South Korea and the United States, said Washington had indicated it would partially restrict the sharing of North Korea-related intelligence with Seoul, with Chung's remarks serving as the trigger amid broader accumulated US frustration over a series of bilateral foreign and security disagreements.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The minister said it was based on public info, so why the big protest from the US? 🤔 Feels like there's more to this story. Maybe the US is upset about something else and using this as an excuse. Diplomatic relations can be so complicated!
From an Indian perspective, we understand the delicate balance. We have to manage relationships with powerful neighbors too. Publicly revealing sensitive info, even if called 'public', can have consequences. South Korea should have been more careful, yaar.
This shows how fragile intelligence partnerships are. One slip-up and trust is broken. The US reaction seems a bit harsh if the info was indeed public, but maybe they're worried about setting a precedent. Hope it doesn't affect security in the region.
North Korea continues to be a problem for the whole world. More nuclear facilities? This is very worrying. The focus should be on denuclearization, not allies fighting over who said what. The bigger picture is being missed here.
Respectfully, I think the South Korean minister made a mistake. In matters of national security and intelligence, you must be 200% sure before speaking, especially in a parliament session. The US has a right to be upset if their intelligence protocols were compromised.
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