Korean Envoy Reports US Concerns Over Intelligence Sharing

On Sept. 18 at the State Department, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised intelligence-sharing concerns with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha, who attended, told a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit at the Korean Embassy in Washington on Oct. 12 that intelligence cooperation is the hardest issue in bilateral ties and has not been resolved to the extent the United States wants. The dispute traces to March, when Unification Minister Chung Dong-young named Kusong in North Pyongan Province as a uranium enrichment facility; Washington treated the remark as a classified disclosure. At the audit, lawmaker Han Dong-hoon said Rubio asked that President Lee Jae Myung be told trust in South Korea's current intelligence leadership has been damaged and needs to be restored. Kang called the exchange more explanation than complaint, said she cannot confirm those specifics, and said no individual was singled out. She said agency-level communication continues and has made progress, while high-level White House consultations are less frequent than she would like. President Lee told a cabinet meeting Tuesday that Seoul should avoid subservient attitudes with other countries. Kang reported no concrete progress on a Trump-Kim summit. Chung said Monday he had explained his March remarks to U.S. officials and the ambassador.