South Korea-US tensions flare over ‘intelligence leak’ claims, Pyongyang policy

A reported US pullback in intelligence-sharing with South Korea has exposed a new trust gap between the allies after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young publicly mentioned a suspected North Korean uranium-enrichment site.Washington viewed Chung’s remark as disclosing sensitive information about Kusong – a site long discussed in outside analyses, but not previously identified publicly by a South Korean official in such terms – and responded by reducing the intelligence it shared with Seoul, according to the Hankyoreh newspaper.The allegation, first reported by the Hankyoreh and partially denied by Seoul, quickly grew beyond a dispute over one remark, feeding wider questions about trust between Washington and Seoul as they try to coordinate policy on Pyongyang.US authorities cut the volume of intelligence provided to Seoul by an estimated 50 to 100 pages a day over the past week, the newspaper reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified senior source.“This is a serious problem. We need to resolve this quickly,” the source said.US officials have reportedly lodged protests with the South Korean government through multiple channels.Unification Minister Chung Dong-young (right) speaks to reporters at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. Photo: EPA/Yonhap