Key facts
- A senior U.S. official said Washington expects Seoul to uphold alliance standards, especially regarding intelligence and counterintelligence.
- The U.S. official's statement was provided in response to an inquiry about bilateral intelligence cooperation.
- South Korea's National Intelligence Service was excluded from a June trilateral meeting on North Korean cyber threats involving the U.S. and Japan.
- Local media reports indicated South Korea's exclusion from the meeting was at Washington's request.
- Friction in intelligence sharing arose after South Korea's Unification Minister publicly disclosed a North Korean uranium enrichment facility in March.
- A U.S. visa for South Korean Rep. Jung Chung-rae was delayed, impacting his planned visit for a parliamentary audit.
A senior U.S. official stated on Friday that Washington expects Seoul to "uphold" the standards of their alliance, particularly concerning intelligence and counterintelligence, amid growing concerns over apparent friction in bilateral cooperation. The remarks were made in a written statement to Yonhap News Agency.