Unification minister rejects blame for US alliance tensions

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young rejected claims Monday that his remarks about a suspected North Korean uranium enrichment site caused Washington to restrict intelligence sharing with Seoul. He said he first identified Kusong in July 2025 as a lawmaker, not in March as minister, and argued that the United States misunderstood the circumstances. Chung said the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains strong despite normal disagreements over security and trade. He also rejected resignation demands directed at him and NIS Director Lee Jong-seok as red-baiting.

Chung said his first reference to North Korea’s Kusong region came during his July 2025 confirmation hearing, when he was a lawmaker, rather than during a March parliamentary session as unification minister.

The People Power Party and some media outlets accused Chung of straining the alliance by identifying Kusong as a suspected uranium enrichment site, reportedly prompting Washington to limit some intelligence sharing from early April.

Chung disputed a report that a visiting U.S. intelligence official bypassed the National Intelligence Service, saying the official did meet with the agency, although he did not identify the NIS representative.

Chung said President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump had met four times in 13 months and might hold a golf meeting in December.

Chung described calls for his and NIS Director Lee Jong-seok’s resignations as red-baiting and criticized what he called outdated views of the alliance.

Published Oct 12, 2026 3:35 pm KST

Chung Dong-young stresses Seoul-Washington ties remain strong

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young enters Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young rejected claims Monday that his remarks on a suspected North Korean uranium enrichment site prompted the U.S. to restrict intelligence sharing with Seoul, as the opposition stepped up calls for him to resign.

Chung told reporters that Washington misread the situation, arguing that his reference to the North's Kusong region was first made at his July 2025 confirmation hearing, not in March this year, when he raised it as a minister at a parliamentary session.

"The U.S.' misunderstanding was that intelligence had been shared, passed on to the unification minister and then somehow leaked by the minister. What I want to point out is that I made those remarks in July last year as a lawmaker, not as unification minister. The U.S. may have overlooked that. Had they known, they would not have raised the issue. They saw it as a leak because they thought I was speaking as minister. Even the U.S. can get the facts wrong," he said.

“The U.S. should have taken action against the National Assembly or the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), because I was a DPK lawmaker then. The U.S. took the wrong action.”

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and some media outlets accused Chung of straining the alliance, saying his naming of Kusong as North Korea's uranium enrichment site prompted Washington to limit some intelligence sharing, reportedly starting in early April.

Chung also cast doubt on a weekend media report claiming that a visiting U.S. intelligence official sidestepped the National Intelligence Service (NIS), saying the official did meet with the spy agency. He did not identify who at the NIS met with the U.S. official.

The minister criticized the media for failing to ask Washington why it took issue with his March remarks, rather than his original comments.

"The media should ask the U.S. to explain that. I made those remarks in July as a lawmaker, so there was no wrongdoing on my part as a minister. The media should raise that point, but I have never seen any outlet do so," he said.

Chung said the alliance remains strong, describing friction with Washington as normal among allies.

“As for the South Korea-U.S. alliance and bilateral relations, every country allied with the U.S. is engaged in a tug-of-war with Washington over security and trade. All allies do this to protect their national interests and autonomy,” he said.

“We are no different. If we unilaterally accept 100 percent of what the U.S. demands, tensions would rise ... Allies share values, but their interests can conflict. Those interests cannot always align.”

He also pointed to the relationship between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The presidents of South Korea and the U.S. have met four times in 13 months. There is also a possibility of a golf meeting in December. They have a bond and respect each other. Can you really say this alliance has broken down? Can you describe that kind of relationship as a broken alliance?”

Asked about calls for him and NIS Director Lee Jong-seok to step down, Chung said the demands amounted to "red-baiting." Both Chung and Lee have often been categorized by critics as "pro-engagement" with North Korea.

“What truly needs to be cast out of South Korea in 2026 is a biased view of the alliance and outdated red-baiting,” he said.

韩国统一部长官郑东荣周一驳斥了有关他提及疑似朝鲜铀浓缩设施的言论导致华盛顿限制与首尔情报共享的说法。他表示，他早在2025年7月就已将具松（音译）列为国会议员，而非今年3月其担任部长，并辩称美国误解了当时的情况。郑东荣表示，尽管韩美在安全和贸易等问题上存在正常分歧，但韩美同盟依然牢固。他还驳斥了针对他和国家情报院院长李钟硕的辞职要求，称其为“红色恐慌”。

郑表示，他第一次提到朝鲜龟城地区是在2025年7月的确认听证会上，当时他是一名国会议员，而不是在3月份的国会会议上，当时他是一名统一部长官。

人民力量党和一些媒体指责郑义宣将龟城认定为疑似铀浓缩基地，从而破坏了美伊联盟，据报道，这导致华盛顿从 4 月初开始限制了一些情报共享。

钟对有关一位来访的美国情报官员绕过国家情报院的报道提出异议，称该官员确实与该机构会面，但他没有透露国家情报院代表的身份。

郑义宣表示，韩国总统李在明和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在过去13个月里会晤了4次，可能会在12月举行高尔夫球会晤。

郑义宣将要求他和国情院院长李钟硕辞职的呼声描述为“红色恐慌”，并批评了他所谓的对联盟的过时看法。

发布于2026年10月12日下午3:35（韩国标准时间）

郑东荣强调首尔与华盛顿的关系依然牢固

周一，统一部长官郑东映进入首尔政府大楼。（韩联社）

周一，统一部长官郑东荣否认了有关他关于朝鲜疑似铀浓缩设施的言论导致美国限制与首尔的情报共享的说法，与此同时，反对派加大了要求他辞职的呼声。

郑义宣告诉记者，华盛顿误判了形势，他辩称，他首次提及朝鲜龟城地区是在2025年7月的确认听证会上，而不是今年3月，当时他作为部长在国会会议上提出了这个问题。

“美方的误解在于，他们认为情报已经共享，并传递给了统一部长，然后又被部长以某种方式泄露了出去。我想指出的是，我去年7月是以国会议员的身份发表这些言论的，而不是以统一部长的身份。美方可能忽略了这一点。如果他们知道，就不会提出这个问题。他们之所以认为这是泄密，是因为他们以为我是以部长的身份发言。即使是美国，也可能搞错事实，”他说道。

“美国当时应该对韩国国会或韩国民主党采取行动，因为我当时是民主党议员。美国采取了错误的做法。”

主要反对党人民力量党（PPP）和一些媒体指责郑义宣破坏了美韩同盟关系，称他将龟城指定为朝鲜铀浓缩基地，导致华盛顿限制了一些情报共享，据报道，这一限制从4月初开始生效。

钟先生还对周末媒体报道中声称一名来访的美国情报官员绕过韩国国家情报院（NIS）的说法表示质疑，称该官员确实与韩国国家情报院会面了。但他没有透露韩国国家情报院的哪位官员与该美国官员会面。

这位部长批评媒体没有询问华盛顿为何对他的三月份言论提出异议，而是质疑他最初的评论。

“媒体应该要求美国对此作出解释。我是在7月份以议员身份发表那些言论的，所以作为部长，我没有任何不当行为。媒体应该提出这一点，但我从未看到任何媒体这样做，”他说。

钟表示，联盟依然牢固，并称盟友之间与华盛顿发生摩擦是正常的。

“至于韩美同盟和双边关系，每个与美国结盟的国家都在安全和贸易问题上与华盛顿进行博弈。所有盟友这样做都是为了保护自身的国家利益和自主权，”他说道。

“我们并无不同。如果我们单方面接受美国提出的全部要求，紧张局势将会加剧……盟友之间拥有共同的价值观，但他们的利益可能会发生冲突。这些利益不可能总是完全一致。”

他还提到了韩国总统李在明与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普之间的关系。

“韩国和美国的总统在过去13个月里会晤了四次。12月还有可能举行高尔夫球会。他们之间关系密切，互相尊重。你真的能说这个联盟破裂了吗？你能把这种关系描述成破裂的联盟吗？”

当被问及要求他和国家情报院院长李钟硕下台的呼声时，郑义宣表示，这些要求无异于“反共”。郑义宣和李钟硕经常被批评人士贴上“亲朝接触”的标签。

他说：“到2026年，韩国真正需要摒弃的是对联盟的偏见看法和过时的反共言论。”