"Disclosed Without Prior Consultation"... U.S. Lodged Simultaneous Protests Over Jeong Dongyoung's Remarks Last Month [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

It has been confirmed that the United States simultaneously lodged protests with South Korean diplomatic and security authorities last month. Right after Minister of Unification Jeong Dongyoung made remarks about a "Guseong nuclear facility," the United States effectively signaled that it would impose various restrictions on information such as satellite imagery, signal interception, and reconnaissance.

Minister of Unification Jeong Dongyoung arrived at the Government Seoul Office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, after finishing an external schedule on the afternoon of the 20th and is stating his position regarding the partial restrictions on information sharing with the United States. Photo by Yonhap News

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According to government officials on April 21, the U.S. protests began during the visit of Michael DeSombre, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to Korea on March 11. Deputy Assistant Secretary DeSombre mentioned Minister Jeong Dongyoung's remarks during talks with high-level officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was only five days after Minister Jeong, during a National Assembly session on March 6, referred to "Guseong in North Pyongan Province" as a location of North Korea's uranium enrichment facilities, in addition to the previously known Yongbyon in North Pyongan Province and Kangson in Nampo City.

Subsequently, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also reportedly protested to the National Intelligence Service, stating that North Korea-related information obtained through various assets-such as satellites, signal interception, and reconnaissance-had been disclosed without prior consultation. Around the same time, United States Forces Korea (USFK) notified the Ministry of National Defense that it could cut off the provision of information on North Korea going forward.

As the gap between the two countries failed to narrow, the United States began restricting information from this month. The U.S. partially blocked the sharing of North Korea-related satellite intelligence, which had previously been shared on a regular basis with South Korea. The United States has long considered any unauthorized disclosure by South Korea of information it provided on North Korea to be a serious violation of "information property rights." South Korean intelligence authorities are refraining from specifying the exact scope of the information that has been restricted by the U.S.

Within the military and among experts, concerns have risen that South Korea's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities regarding North Korea-which have long depended significantly on the United States-may be undermined and that military readiness may weaken. These concerns have grown especially acute as North Korea has increased both the scale and frequency of provocations, such as ballistic missile launches, since the 9th Party Congress earlier this year.

This year, North Korea has demonstrated force by launching hypersonic and ballistic missiles (January 4), testing an improved large-caliber multiple rocket launcher (January 27), and firing a 600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher (March 14). This month, the intervals between provocations have shortened. On April 7, an unidentified projectile was launched in the Pyongyang area; on April 8, a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) was launched in the Wonsan area; on April 12, cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles were launched from the new destroyer "Choe Hyon." Just a week later, another round of provocations occurred.

A military official stated, "The information the U.S. has restricted from sharing does not directly affect military operations," and added, "Ballistic missile launches and other North Korean military activities continue to be thoroughly monitored and surveilled jointly by the United States and South Korea, as before."

The South Korean government has expressed that it finds the U.S. backlash, including the cutoff of intelligence on North Korea, incomprehensible. On April 20, President Lee Jaemyung defended Minister Jeong Dongyoung's mention of Guseong City in North Pyongan Province as a third North Korean nuclear facility, stating, "It is a clear fact that the existence of the Guseong facility was already widely known to the world through academic papers and media reports prior to Minister Jeong's remarks." President Lee further stated on X (formerly Twitter), "Any claim or action premised on the idea that Minister Jeong 'leaked U.S. intelligence' is wrong."

Following Minister Jeong's remarks, the United States partially restricted information sharing, and there have been calls within the opposition for his dismissal. However, the administration is emphasizing that Minister Jeong merely referred to information that was already in the public domain, thereby questioning the motives behind the criticism and lending weight to his rebuttal.

On the same day, Minister Jeong Dongyoung also told reporters that his mention of the "Guseong nuclear facility" was based on already public information, stating, "I was explaining policy to illustrate the seriousness of the North Korean nuclear issue, and it is highly regrettable that this is being characterized as a leak of information." He added, "I hope that the issue will be resolved smoothly through effective communication between South Korea and the United States."

Within the government, the prevailing view is that the clash between the United States and South Korea began over the issue of approval authority for access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The United Nations Command has protested that "allowing the Republic of Korea to hold DMZ access approval authority constitutes a direct violation of the Armistice Agreement and would so undermine the authority of the UN Commander." Recently, the Ministry of National Defense proposed joint management of the DMZ to the United States, but many assess that it will be difficult for the United Nations Command to accept this proposal.

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