Seoul, Oct 9 (IANS): A recent snub of Seoul’s spy agency during a trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo has heightened concerns over possible friction in the South Korea-US alliance, sources said Friday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Thursday acknowledged that it had been excluded from the June meeting on North Korean cyber threats, after a news report said the agency had been left out at Washington’s request, Yonhap News Agency reported.
While the NIS downplayed the incident, the exclusion has fueled concerns over bilateral ties, with continued reports of friction between the two partners.
Earlier in the day, the industry ministry dismissed a local news report alleging US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had voiced distrust of the NIS during bilateral negotiations on strategic investment projects.
In light of the reports, a senior ruling bloc insider acknowledged that “various issues” between the two sides have had an impact on overall bilateral ties.
“It is not good for bilateral relations to be shaky like this,” the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. “It is never desirable for problems to arise in the intelligence sector.”
The allies have faced signs of friction in the intelligence sector after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s disclosure of a North Korean uranium enrichment facility in Kusong in March.
While Chung has said he only shared what was already in the public domain, the move prompted Washington to restrict Seoul’s access to some intelligence related to North Korea in apparent protest over the disclosure.
Some have called on the presidential office to dispatch National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac to Washington for talks to defuse the apparent friction.
An official from the ruling bloc, however, said there appear to be no such plans for Wi, while noting that the situation calls for exploring various options.
Related to the apparent strain, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday voiced regret over the delayed issuance of a US visa for former party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae.
DP senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon said Jung’s visa application status remains under review without a final decision. Chung had planned to visit the United States for a parliamentary audit of Seoul’s diplomatic missions.
“(We) hope the diplomatic authorities of South Korea and the United States swiftly and actively resolve the issue,” Park said in a written briefing.
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) raised suspicions of friction in the alliance may have influenced the apparent delayed proceedings.
“If such warning signs across the diplomatic, intelligence and security sectors continue, the government must thoroughly inspect whether there are problems in communication and trust between South Korea and the US,” Choi Eun-seok, the PPP’s senior floor spokesperson, said.
Jung addressed the issue in a Facebook post, noting that his US visa is under review and asking others to refrain from remarks that could harm the South Korea-US alliance.
A foreign ministry official said it is inappropriate to link Jung’s visa issue with broader South Korea-US relations.
“South Korean and US authorities are closely communicating and cooperating in various issues, and it is inappropriate to connect an individual visa issue with overall South Korea-US relations,” the insider said.
The official noted that individual visa applications and review results are treated confidentially under US laws and procedures, adding that it is difficult for the ministry to confirm details.
Jung previously failed to obtain a US visa as a lawmaker in 2013. He had been imprisoned for his role in leading the 1989 occupation of the US ambassador’s residence in Seoul by student activists.
