Unification minister says S. Korea-U.S. alliance intact despite conflicting interests

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SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young dismissed concerns Monday that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is weakening, saying the two allies share common values even when their interests diverge.

Chung made the remarks during a meeting with reporters, as the opposition has accused him of undermining the alliance, citing controversy over U.S. restrictions on intelligence-sharing with South Korea following his remarks about a suspected North Korean uranium enrichment facility in Kusong and other issues.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young arrives at the government complex in Seoul on Oct. 12, 2026. (Yonhap)

"An alliance shares values, but interests can be aligned or conflicting," Chung said. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the South Korea-U.S. alliance right now. What is wrong with it?"

Stressing that Seoul cannot simply accept every demand from Washington, Chung said U.S. allies seek to protect their own national interests and autonomy, and South Korea is no exception.

The minister described a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in New York last month as a "milestone" in advancing South Korea's national interests.

Chung said the dispute over intelligence-sharing stemmed from a misunderstanding, arguing that his remarks about the Kusong facility were made in July last year, when he was a lawmaker, not a government minister.

"The original remarks about the Kusong facility were made during my confirmation hearing in July last year," he said. "I explained the circumstances to U.S. officials and asked the South Korean ambassador to the United States to explain them as well."

On Sunday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that, despite acknowledged restrictions in certain areas, South Korea and the U.S. continued to cooperate across a broad range of intelligence matters, including North Korean missiles and conventional military capabilities.

The NIS also denied reports that the overall volume of intelligence shared by Washington had declined.

Chung rejected calls by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and other critics for his dismissal, as well as calls for the dismissal of NIS Director Lee Jong-seok.

"Such calls for dismissal and resignation demands are just ideological smear," Chung said. "What should be driven out in 2026 is ideological labeling."

This photo, released by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 5, 2026, captures the moment of a mine-clearing operation conducted by the South Korean military on that day in response to the Sept. 21 mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone that Seoul has blamed on Pyongyang. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Chung also defended his characterization of last month's land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as an accident, reiterating that it was difficult to conclusively determine whether the incident was a deliberate attack by North Korea.

"South and North Korea and the U.N. Command (UNC) use different reference lines. The fundamental issue is the need to align the military demarcation lines," Chung said. "The priority should be to prevent similar incidents from happening again."

His characterization has faced criticism, as the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said last week that its joint investigation with the UNC found that mines planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) caused the explosion on Sept. 21, injuring three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously.

The JCS said the mine-laying violated the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War and called on Pyongyang to apologize.

North Korea has dismissed Seoul's findings as fabricated and warned that it would retaliate if South Korea takes corresponding action.

graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)

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这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，10月12日（韩联社）——韩国统一部长官郑东荣周一驳斥了有关韩美同盟关系正在削弱的担忧，称即使两国利益存在分歧，两国仍拥有共同的价值观。

郑义宣是在与记者会面时发表上述言论的。反对派指责他破坏韩美同盟，理由是他曾就朝鲜在龟城疑似的铀浓缩设施发表言论，引发了美国限制与韩国共享情报的争议，以及其他一些问题。

2026年10月12日，统一部长官郑东泳抵达首尔政府大楼。（韩联社）

“同盟双方拥有共同的价值观，但利益可能一致也可能冲突，”郑说。“目前韩美同盟绝对没有任何问题。它到底有什么问题呢？”

郑义宣强调首尔不能简单地接受华盛顿的每一项要求，并表示美国的盟友都寻求保护自己的国家利益和自主权，韩国也不例外。

该部长称上个月李在明总统与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在纽约举行的峰会是推进韩国国家利益的“里程碑”。

钟南山表示，关于情报共享的争议源于误会，并辩称他关于龟松设施的言论是在去年7月发表的，当时他还是立法委员，而不是政府部长。

他说：“关于龟城设施的最初言论是在去年7月我的任命听证会上发表的。我向美国官员解释了情况，并要求韩国驻美国大使也做出解释。”

韩国国家情报院（NIS）周日表示，尽管在某些领域存在限制，但韩国和美国在包括朝鲜导弹和常规军事能力在内的广泛情报领域继续开展合作。

美国国家情报局还否认了有关华盛顿分享的情报总量有所下降的报道。

郑义宣拒绝了主要反对党国民力量党（PPP）和其他批评人士要求他下台的呼吁，以及要求解雇国家情报院院长李钟硕的呼吁。

钟先生表示：“这种要求解雇和辞职的呼声纯粹是意识形态上的抹黑。2026年真正应该被清除的是意识形态标签。”

这张照片由韩国联合参谋本部于2026年10月5日发布，记录了韩国军方当天在非军事区内开展的排雷行动，以回应9月21日发生在非军事区的地雷爆炸事件。首尔方面指责平壤是幕后黑手。（照片禁止出售）（韩联社）

郑义宣还为他将上个月非军事区（DMZ）地雷爆炸事件定性为意外事故辩护，重申很难最终确定该事件是否是朝鲜蓄意袭击。

“韩国、朝鲜和联合国军司令部使用的军事分界线各不相同。根本问题在于需要统一军事分界线，”郑说。“当务之急是防止类似事件再次发生。”

他的描述受到了批评，因为韩国联合参谋本部（JCS）上周表示，其与联合国军司令部（UNC）的联合调查发现，朝鲜在军事分界线（MDL）以南埋设的地雷导致了9月21日的爆炸，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重。

联合参谋本部表示，布雷行为违反了结束1950-53年朝鲜战争的停战协定，并呼吁平壤道歉。

朝鲜驳斥首尔的调查结果，称其系捏造，并警告称，如果韩国采取相应行动，朝鲜将予以报复。

graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)

情报机构否认报道称美国只与韩国分享有关朝鲜导弹的情报。

美国高级官员表示，尽管存在情报合作方面的担忧，但美国仍希望韩国“维护”同盟标准。

（第二条）韩国进行高超音速武器试验后，朝鲜发射多枚弹道导弹

朝鲜领导人的妹妹再次拒绝首尔的医疗援助提议。

（第二条）韩国在朝韩关系紧张之际进行首次高超音速滑翔飞行器试射

（第二份声明）参谋长称非军事区地雷爆炸事件为“挑衅”；誓言审查应对措施

统一部长官表示，尽管利益冲突，韩美同盟依然稳固。