Kang Kyung-wha: Issues in South Korea-US Intelligence Cooperation Remain Unresolved

[Anchor]

During the parliamentary audit of the South Korean Embassy in the United States held in Washington, D.C. in the early hours of today (October 13), Ambassador to the US Kang Kyung-wha acknowledged that there were problems in intelligence cooperation with the US and that they have not yet been fully resolved. She revealed that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who finds himself at the center of a rift in South Korea-US cooperation, called her to ask for misunderstandings to be cleared up, prompting her to personally offer explanations to the US side, though she did not disclose what response she received.

For our first report today, correspondent Lee Hanseok reports from Washington.

[Reporter]

The core issue at the parliamentary audit of the Embassy in the US was the question of trust within the US intelligence apparatus.

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon pressed the issue by pointing out that during last month's South Korea-US foreign ministers' meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned damage to the credibility of South Korea's intelligence line, suggesting this was effectively a demand for a personnel reshuffle targeting President Lee Jae-myung.

[Han Dong-hoon / Independent Lawmaker: Since the US cannot interfere in internal affairs and explicitly demand who to replace, isn't this actually the US expressing its position that it can no longer work with this line?]

Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha, who attended the meeting, drew the line by stating there was no mention of replacing specific individuals, but she did admit to limitations in communication with the White House and acknowledged that problems exist in intelligence cooperation.

[Kang Kyung-wha / Ambassador to the US: There was talk that issues exist in intelligence cooperation. I do not think the issues regarding intelligence cooperation have been resolved as fully as the US side expects.]

Regarding the US raising the issue of intelligence leaks surrounding Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's remarks on the No. 3 nuclear facility in Kusong, North Pyongan Province, Ambassador Kang stated that she accepted Minister Chung's request and directly explained the situation to the US side.

Suspicion was also raised that South Korean conglomerates suspended cooperation with US defense companies out of fear of Chinese retaliation, to which Ambassador Kang replied that she is communicating with the US side to alleviate the difficulties companies face amid regulations.

In response, the Democratic Party argued that the structural trends of Trump's foreign policy must be considered, countering that framing the South Korea-US alliance as being shaken by individual pending issues is a misreading of the geopolitical situation.

[Park Sung-joon / Democratic Party of Korea Lawmaker: We need to understand this by looking at such international politics and the flow of US foreign policy. Trying to shake things up as if the South Korea-US relationship is fractured over a single diplomatic issue stems from a misunderstanding of the broader trends in the international order.]

Meanwhile, Ambassador Kang stated that the recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone was definitely not an accidental mishap, revealing a difference in perspective from President Lee Jae-myung.

(Video Shooting: Oh Jung-shik | Video Editing: Won Hyung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.