“U.S. limits on intelligence sharing should be lifted — it’s in our national interest”
Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young said on the 29th, “The U.S. restriction on sharing intelligence about North Korea is unreasonable and incoherent. Pressing the U.S. to lift it quickly is in South Korea’s national interest.” After attending the launch ceremony for the third 2030 Youth Advisory Group and taking part in a minister-youth dialogue at Odusan Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Jeong told reporters he criticized the opposition, which has filed a motion recommending his dismissal, for claiming to handle security issues on a bipartisan basis while being “overly deferential to the United States.”
He said he had referenced Guseong City as the location of a North Korean uranium-enrichment facility not only at last month’s National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee but also during his confirmation hearing last year. He accused People Power Party members on that committee of showing no reaction at the time and only “panicking and making a fuss” after the U.S. raised concerns.
He asked the opposition, “Are you members of the U.S. Congress?” and added, “If you are Korean lawmakers, you should represent the national interest as the people’s representatives.”
The U.S. reportedly moved to limit the sharing of satellite intelligence with Seoul after Jeong mentioned Guseong in addition to Yongbyon and Kangson — sites that U.S.-ROK authorities have identified as uranium-enrichment facilities — alleging he had disclosed classified information shared by the United States. Jeong and the Unification Ministry have denied leaking classified material, saying that information about a Guseong enrichment facility is based on public sources such as foreign think-tank reports, but attacks from the opposition continue.
Responding to People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seok’s suggestion that advocating use of the North Korean state name “Choson” could justify his dismissal, Jeong said, “That’s their logic, and it does not represent the view of the majority of the public.”
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