South Korean envoy says U.S. intelligence-cooperation concerns remain unresolved
In short
South Korea's ambassador to the United States, Kang Kyung-wha (강경화), said intelligence-cooperation issues had not been resolved to Washington's expectations. Speaking at an October 12 parliamentary audit in Washington, she also said intelligence agencies had made progress through communication but acknowledged limits to high-level White House consultations.
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South Korea's ambassador to the United States, Kang Kyung-wha (강경화), said intelligence-cooperation problems had not been resolved sufficiently to meet Washington's expectations. She made the remarks at an October 12 parliamentary foreign-affairs committee audit at the South Korean embassy in Washington. Kang said intelligence cooperation was among the most difficult issues in bilateral diplomacy, while reporting progress through communication between the two countries' intelligence agencies. [ 1 , 10 , 12 ]
Kang confirmed that intelligence-cooperation problems had been discussed at the September 18 meeting between the countries' foreign ministers, which she attended. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon (한동훈) alleged that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had asked South Korea to restore trust in its intelligence leadership and convey that message to the president. Kang declined to disclose detailed remarks but acknowledged that the U.S. side had explained its position. [ 10 ]
She said she did not recall specific individuals being mentioned and had not directly heard the alleged U.S. position that cooperation with South Korea's unification minister and intelligence chief was difficult. Kang said the National Intelligence Service was continuing to respond and that agency-to-agency communication had made progress. Maeil Business reported that she did not have the specific details of that progress. [ 10 , 12 ]
Kang acknowledged limits to communication with the White House, saying meetings with National Security Council officials and other figures were frequent but high-level consultations were not happening as much as she wanted. She said diplomatic channels at different levels were actively operating every day. Dong-A Ilbo reported that she disagreed with a lawmaker's assertion that military channels were not functioning. [ 7 , 12 , 13 ]
Kang also confirmed that the unification minister had called her after remarks about a nuclear facility in North Korea's Kusong, asking her to convey his explanation to the U.S. side. She said the explanation had been passed on through customary consultation channels. Newsis reported that the intelligence-sharing dispute had been linked to the minister's March disclosure identifying Kusong as the site of a third North Korean nuclear facility. [ 10 ]
Why it matters
Kang described intelligence cooperation as a major pillar of coordination between South Korea and the United States and said the difficulties needed to be overcome quickly. She said diplomatic channels were active daily, while consultations with senior White House figures were falling short of what she wanted.
Key facts
- Kang spoke at a parliamentary foreign-affairs committee audit at South Korea's embassy in Washington on October 12 local time. [ 7 , 9 , 10 , 15 ]
- She said U.S. concerns about intelligence cooperation had not been sufficiently resolved to American expectations. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 15 ]
- She confirmed that intelligence-cooperation problems were discussed at the September 18 foreign-ministers' meeting. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 14 ]
- Kang said she did not recall specific individuals being mentioned at that meeting. [ 1 , 10 , 13 , 14 ]
- She said communication between the countries' intelligence agencies had produced progress. [ 1 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 15 ]
- Kang acknowledged limits to high-level consultations with the White House. [ 1 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kang said intelligence-cooperation issues had not been resolved to U.S. expectations. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 15 ]
- She acknowledged U.S. discussion of intelligence-cooperation problems at the September 18 foreign-ministers' meeting. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 14 ]
- Kang said she did not recall specific individuals being mentioned. [ 1 , 10 , 13 , 14 ]
- She reported progress through communication between intelligence agencies. [ 1 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 15 ]
- She acknowledged limits to high-level consultations with the White House. [ 1 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]
Still unclear
- The specific progress toward resolving intelligence-cooperation difficulties. Kang reported agency-to-agency progress but did not provide its details, according to Maeil Business and Seoul Shinmun.
- The precise requests made by Rubio regarding South Korea's intelligence leadership. Han described requests to restore trust, while Kang declined to disclose detailed remarks and said she did not recall individuals being mentioned.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kukmin Ilbo reported Kang's assessment that intelligence-cooperation issues remained unresolved to U.S. expectations. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reported Kang's statement that intelligence-agency communication had produced progress. [ 6 ]
- Newsis reported Han's allegations about the September meeting and Kang's response that specific individuals were not mentioned. [ 10 ]