South Korea says not aware of US protest over minister's remarks

South Korea's Unification Ministry said on Friday it was not aware of any U.S. protest or curbs on intelligence sharing following a report that Washington was unhappy about the disclosure of a previously unconfirmed North Korean nuclear site.



The ministry said it had explained to the U.S. side that Minister Chung Dong-young's public remarks about a North Korean nuclear facility at Kusong were based on publicly available information, including international research reports, and understood that its explanation had been accepted.



The Dong-A Ilbo reported that the U.S. had conveyed its displeasure to Seoul after Chung said at a parliamentary hearing on March 6 that North Korea had a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, alongside well-known sites in Yongbyon and Kangson.



The newspaper, citing sources in South Korea and the United States, said Washington had indicated it would partially restrict the sharing of North Korea-related intelligence with Seoul, with Chung's remarks serving as the trigger amid broader accumulated U.S. frustration over a series of bilateral foreign and security disagreements.