South Korea says not aware of US protest over minister’s remarks on North Korea nuclear site
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North Korea's Kim Jong Un observes a ground ejection test of what KCNA says is a high-output solid-fuel engine using carbon fiber composite materials.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on April 17 it was not aware of any US protest or curbs on intelligence sharing following a report that Washington was unhappy about the disclosure of a previously unconfirmed North Korean nuclear site.
The ministry said it had explained to the US side that Minister Chung Dong-young’s public remarks about a North Korean nuclear facility at Kusong were based on publicly available information, including international research reports, and understood that its explanation had been accepted.
The Dong-A Ilbo reported that the US had conveyed its displeasure to Seoul after Mr Chung said at a parliamentary hearing on March 6 that North Korea had a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, alongside well-known sites in Yongbyon and Kangson.
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 Mr Chung’s remarks serving as the trigger amid broader accumulated US frustration over a series of bilateral foreign and security disagreements.
A ministry spokesperson said at a press briefing that it had “sufficiently explained the background” on Mr Chung’s remarks after an inquiry from the US embassy in South Korea and understood that “the US side had accepted” the explanation.
The spokesperson also said the ministry was not aware of any protest or measures to restrict intelligence-sharing from the United States.
In separate comments to Reuters, the ministry said that if there had been any US measures, it did not believe they were directly related to the minister’s comments.
The US embassy in Seoul gave no immediate comment.
Mr Chung told the parliamentary committee in March that North Korea had been enriching weapons-grade uranium at Yongbyon, Kangson and Kusong, citing remarks by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi at a board of governors meeting in March.
The IAEA transcript of Mr Grossi’s introductory statement shows he mentioned only facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson, with no reference to Kusong. REUTERS
