South Korea’s top envoy to the United States says Seoul is making progress in intelligence cooperation with Washington, even as friction concerns affect parts of the relationship. Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha makes the remarks during a parliamentary audit in Washington, addressing questions from lawmakers about recent controversies involving intelligence coordination.
The accounts focus on US concerns over remarks by South Korea’s unification minister related to a suspected North Korean uranium enrichment facility. The outlets also link the broader unease to speculation about how South Korea’s National Intelligence Service was excluded from a June trilateral meeting on North Korean cyber threats that also involved Japan, with local reporting saying the exclusion reflected a US request.
Kang says she is aware that intelligence agencies in both countries communicate with each other and that cooperation has improved. She does not dispute the reported tensions, but her comments present a more constructive assessment of ongoing coordination despite disputes over specific disclosures and meeting participation.
