President stresses national interests in diplomacy, acknowledges disagreements with US

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday in Seoul that countries can have disagreements while urging diplomacy that puts Korea’s national interests first. He described the Korea-U.S. alliance as an important pillar of diplomacy but said Korea should avoid submissive attitudes toward other countries. His remarks came amid disputes involving intelligence sharing, visa delays and limited high-level communication with Washington.

Lee said countries should discuss differences, clearly state their positions and work toward agreement while keeping disputes within manageable bounds.

The National Intelligence Service was reportedly excluded from a June trilateral meeting with Japan on Pyongyang’s cyber threats at Washington’s request.

U.S. visa delays involving NIS personnel and Rep. Jung Chung-rae fueled criticism, although the NIS denied that its staff had been refused visas or that Washington had rejected a planned visit by Director Lee Jong-seok.

Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha said Seoul had made progress in agency-level intelligence talks but acknowledged limits in high-level communication with the White House.

The People Power Party demanded action against Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and NIS Director Lee Jong-seok over what it portrayed as warning signs in diplomatic, intelligence and security channels.

Published Oct 13, 2026 4:31 pm KST

Lee calls for managing differences amid alliance concerns

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that disagreements can exist between countries, while stressing that Korea must put its national interests first and “avoid submissive attitudes or excessive servility” in its diplomacy.

Speaking to ministers and presidential aides during a live broadcast of the weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee made the remarks as disputes over intelligence sharing, U.S. visa delays for high-profile Korean figures and limited access to senior White House officials heightened concerns over the Korea-U.S. alliance.

Conservative politicians have accused Lee’s liberal government of undermining decades of trust, while progressive figures have argued that some objections from the U.S. are misplaced.

“Disagreements can exist between countries ... how can their interests always align when each pursues its own national interests?” Lee said, adding that countries must continually discuss their differences, make their positions clear and work toward agreement.

He called for efforts “to minimize differences and keep them within manageable bounds,” but emphasized that “the existence of differences itself cannot be treated as a problem.”

Lee described the Korea-U.S. alliance as “very important and a pillar of our diplomacy that we must continue to strengthen.”

“At the same time, managing relations with the major powers surrounding us remains important,” he noted.

Lee nevertheless made clear that “Korea is a sovereign, independent country, and what matters most is Korea’s national interests.”

“We must always conduct diplomacy that confidently protects Korea’s national interests,” he continued, urging the country to “avoid submissive attitudes or excessive servility” in relations with other countries.

The president’s emphasis on managing disagreements challenges conservative arguments that recent friction collectively points to declining U.S. confidence in Seoul’s foreign policy and security leadership.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) was reportedly excluded from a June trilateral meeting involving Japan on Pyongyang’s cyber threats at Washington’s request.

Since taking office in August, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Michelle Steel has met other ministers handling security affairs but has yet to meet Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, whose remarks conservatives have repeatedly criticized as pro-Pyongyang.

Chung has countered that shared alliance values do not mean interests always coincide.

U.S. visa delays for NIS personnel and Rep. Jung Chung-rae, former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, have fueled further criticism, although the NIS denied that its staff had been refused visas or that Washington had rejected a planned visit by Director Lee Jong-seok.

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has portrayed these developments as warning signs across diplomatic, intelligence and security channels, with some PPP lawmakers demanding the dismissal of the unification minister and the NIS director.

The friction comes as Donald Trump’s second administration has clashed with other longstanding partners over tariffs and security commitments.

Nevertheless, Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha’s testimony at Monday’s parliamentary audit of the embassy in Washington highlighted practical difficulties in resolving the disputes.

“I admit there are limits to communication with the White House,” she said, describing high-level consultations as frustratingly short of what she sought.

Kang acknowledged that Seoul had not sufficiently addressed U.S. intelligence concerns, although agency-level talks had made progress.

She did not recall Washington mentioning specific officials like Chung or Lee Jong-seok.

李在明总统周二在首尔表示，各国之间可以存在分歧，但他同时强调，外交应将韩国的国家利益放在首位。他称韩美同盟是外交的重要支柱，但表示韩国应避免对其他国家采取顺从的态度。此前，韩美两国在情报共享、签证延误以及高层沟通有限等问题上存在分歧。

李表示，各国应讨论分歧，明确表明立场，努力达成协议，同时将争端控制在可控范围内。

据报道，应华盛顿的要求，美国国家情报院被排除在6月份与日本举行的关于平壤网络威胁的三方会议之外。

美国签证延误事件涉及韩国国情院工作人员和郑正来议员，引发了批评，尽管韩国国情院否认其工作人员被拒绝签证，也否认华盛顿拒绝了院长李钟硕的访问计划。

韩国驻美大使康京和表示，首尔在机构层面的情报会谈中取得了进展，但也承认与白宫的高层沟通存在局限性。

国民力量党要求对统一部长官郑东荣和国家情报院院长李钟硕采取行动，理由是他们在外交、情报和安全渠道中发出了警告信号。

发布于2026年10月13日下午4:31（韩国标准时间）

李呼吁在联盟关切中管控分歧

周二，韩国总统李在明在首尔青瓦台出席每周例行内阁会议并发表讲话。（韩联社）

李在明总统周二表示，国家之间可能存在分歧，但他同时强调，韩国必须将国家利益放在首位，并在外交中“避免卑躬屈膝的态度或过度奴性”。

李明博在青瓦台举行的每周内阁会议现场直播中向部长和总统助理发表讲话时，由于情报共享方面的争议、美国对韩国知名人士的签证延误以及与白宫高级官员接触受限等问题，人们对韩美同盟的担忧日益加剧。

保守派政客指责李光耀领导的自由派政府破坏了数十年的信任，而进步派人士则认为美国的一些反对意见是毫无根据的。

李说：“国家之间难免存在分歧……各国都在追求各自的国家利益，如何才能始终保持一致呢？”他补充说，各国必须不断讨论分歧，明确立场，努力达成共识。

他呼吁各方努力“尽量减少分歧，并将其控制在可控范围内”，但他强调“分歧的存在本身不能被视为一个问题”。

李表示，韩美同盟“非常重要，是我们外交的支柱，我们必须继续加强这一同盟”。

“与此同时，处理好与周边大国的关系仍然非常重要，”他指出。

但李显龙明确表示，“韩国是一个主权独立的国家，最重要的是韩国的国家利益。”

他继续说道：“我们必须始终开展能够自信地维护韩国国家利益的外交活动”，并敦促韩国在与其他国家的关系中“避免表现出顺从的态度或过度的奴性”。

总统强调管控分歧，这挑战了保守派的观点，即最近的摩擦表明美国对首尔的外交政策和安全领导能力的信心正在下降。

据报道，应华盛顿的要求，日本国家情报院（NIS）被排除在6月份与日本举行的关于平壤网络威胁的三方会议之外。

自 8 月上任以来，美国驻韩国大使米歇尔·斯蒂尔会见了其他负责安全事务的部长，但尚未会见统一部长官郑东荣，保守派人士曾多次批评郑东荣的言论亲平壤。

钟反驳说，共同的联盟价值观并不意味着利益总是一致的。

美国对韩国国家情报院（NIS）人员和韩国执政党共同民主党前委员长郑正来议员的签证延误，引发了进一步的批评，尽管韩国国家情报院否认其工作人员被拒绝签证，也否认华盛顿拒绝了院长李钟硕的访问计划。

主要反对党人民力量党（PPP）通过外交、情报和安全渠道将这些事态发展描述为警告信号，一些人民力量党议员要求解雇统一部长和国家情报局局长。

此次摩擦发生之际，唐纳德·特朗普的第二届政府已与其他长期合作伙伴在关税和安全承诺方面发生冲突。

然而，韩国驻美国大使康京和周一在国会就驻美大使馆进行审计时作证，强调了解决争端的实际困难。

“我承认与白宫的沟通存在局限性，”她说道，并表示高层磋商远未达到她所期望的程度，令人沮丧。

康承认，尽管机构层面的会谈取得了进展，但首尔方面并未充分解决美国情报部门的担忧。

她不记得华盛顿方面曾提及过郑某或李钟硕等具体官员。