South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) was excluded from a trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Japan in June concerning North Korean cyber threats, the agency confirmed. The exclusion, reportedly at the request of the U.S., stemmed from a past misunderstanding over national interests, though the NIS stated that cooperation with U.S. intelligence authorities on security matters remains strong.
The exclusion of South Korea's primary intelligence agency from a key security meeting highlights potential friction points in trilateral cooperation on North Korean threats, despite assurances of ongoing collaboration.
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) was excluded from a trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Japan in June that focused on North Korean cyber threats, the agency acknowledged on Thursday.
The exclusion came to light after a local newspaper reported that the spy agency had been barred from the fifth meeting of the Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group at the request of the U.S. side.
"There had been some misunderstanding several months ago, but it is now a thing of the past," the NIS stated, effectively confirming the report. The agency added, "Among states, misunderstandings can happen over different national interests. What matters is how to solve them in a timely manner," and emphasized, "There is no misunderstanding between intelligence authorities of South Korea and the U.S."
The NIS further stated, "The NIS is working closely with the U.S. side on security matters such as cyber and North Korea."
The trilateral working group convened its inaugural meeting in December 2023, following a summit between the leaders of the three countries in August of that year, where they agreed to enhance security cooperation. The June session was reportedly the first to take place without the NIS's participation.
This meeting involved more than 60 participants from various ministries and agencies of the three nations, who exchanged assessments of North Korea's illicit cyber activities and discussed strategies to counter these threats effectively.
The U.S. request for the NIS's exclusion is believed to have been influenced by remarks made by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young during a parliamentary session in March. Chung had stated that North Korea operates a third uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, in addition to those in Yongbyon and Kangson, though he maintained that he only shared publicly available information.
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