NIS excluded from June meeting with US, Japan over N. Korean cyber threats

The National Intelligence Service was excluded from a June trilateral meeting in Washington and Tokyo on North Korean cyber threats after a U.S. request. The NIS acknowledged there had been a misunderstanding but said it was resolved and that intelligence authorities from South Korea and the U.S. were cooperating closely. More than 60 officials discussed North Korea’s illicit cyber activities and countermeasures. The U.S. request was reportedly linked to Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s public remarks about a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong.

The fifth Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group meeting was the first session believed to take place without the NIS.

The working group began in December 2023 after the South Korean, U.S. and Japanese leaders agreed at the August 2023 Camp David summit to strengthen security cooperation.

Participants from relevant ministries and agencies exchanged assessments of North Korea’s illicit cyber activities and discussed ways to counter cyber threats.

Chung Dong-young said in a March parliamentary session that North Korea operates uranium enrichment facilities in Kusong, Yongbyon and Kangson.

Chung said his reference to Kusong was based on information already in the public domain.

Published Oct 8, 2026 3:39 pm KST

National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok leaves the National Assembly in Seoul after attending a plenary session of the parliamentary committee on intelligence, Sept. 30. Joint Press Corps

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) was left out of a June trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo on North Korean cyber threats, the agency effectively acknowledged Thursday.

The exclusion belatedly came to light after a local newspaper reported that the spy agency had been barred from the fifth meeting of the Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group at the request of the U.S. side.

"There had been some misunderstanding several months ago, but it is now a thing of the past," the NIS said, all but acknowledging the report.

"Among states, misunderstandings can happen over different national interests. What matters is how to solve them in a timely manner," it said, adding, "There is no misunderstanding between intelligence authorities of South Korea and the U.S."

"The NIS is working closely with the U.S. side on security matters such as cyber and North Korea," it said.

The trilateral working group held its inaugural meeting in December 2023, following the summit between the leaders at Camp David, Maryland, in August that year, when they agreed to strengthen security cooperation.

The June session is believed to be the first without the NIS. The meeting brought together more than 60 participants from relevant ministries and agencies of the three countries to exchange assessments of North Korea's illicit cyber activities and discuss ways to effectively counter cyber threats.

The U.S. request is believed to have been prompted by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's remarks during a parliamentary session in March that North Korea runs a third uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, alongside in Yongbyon and Kangson.

Chung has said he only shared what was already in the public domain.

应美国要求，韩国国家情报院被排除在6月于华盛顿和东京举行的关于朝鲜网络威胁的三方会议之外。国家情报院承认存在误会，但表示误会已解决，韩国和美国的情报机构正在密切合作。超过60名官员讨论了朝鲜的非法网络活动及应对措施。据报道，美国的这一要求与韩国统一部长官郑东荣就龟城铀浓缩设施发表的公开言论有关。

第五次三方外交工作组会议据信是首次在没有国家情报局参与的情况下举行的会议。

该工作组于 2023 年 12 月成立，此前韩国、美国和日本领导人在 2023 年 8 月的戴维营峰会上同意加强安全合作。

来自相关部委和机构的与会者交流了对朝鲜非法网络活动的评估，并讨论了应对网络威胁的方法。

郑东永在3月份的国会会议上表示，朝鲜在龟城、宁边和江山设有铀浓缩设施。

钟先生表示，他提到久松是因为这些信息已经公开。

发布于2026年10月8日下午3:39（韩国标准时间）

9月30日，韩国国家情报院院长李钟硕在首尔出席国会情报委员会全体会议后离开国会。（联合新闻社）

国家情报院（NIS）周四实际上承认，该机构被排除在6月份华盛顿和东京就朝鲜网络威胁举行的三方会议之外。

当地一家报纸报道称，应美方要求，该间谍机构被禁止参加三方外交工作组第五次会议，此事才姗姗来迟地曝光。

“几个月前确实存在一些误会，但现在已经是过去的事了，”国家情报局表示，几乎等于承认了这份报告。

声明称：“国家之间，由于国家利益不同，可能会产生误解。重要的是如何及时解决这些误解。”声明还补充道：“韩国和美国的情报机构之间不存在任何误解。”

“美国国家情报院正与美方在网络安全和朝鲜等安全问题上密切合作，”声明称。

三方工作组于 2023 年 12 月举行了首次会议。此前，三国领导人于同年 8 月在马里兰州戴维营举行峰会，会上他们同意加强安全合作。

据信，6月份的会议是朝鲜国家情报院（NIS）缺席的首次会议。会议汇聚了来自三国相关部委和机构的60多名代表，共同探讨对朝鲜非法网络活动的评估，并讨论有效应对网络威胁的途径。

据信，美国提出这一要求是由于统一部长官郑东荣在3月份的国会会议上发表的言论，即朝鲜除了宁边和江山之外，还在龟城运营着第三个铀浓缩设施。

钟先生表示，他只是分享了已经公开的信息。