Seoul has been experiencing issues regarding intelligence cooperation with Washington, the South Korean ambassador to the United States said on Monday.
Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha described restrictions over intelligence sharing between South Korea and the United States as the “most difficult” issue to resolve between the two countries, during an audit by South Korean lawmakers at the nation’s embassy in Washington.
Friction between Seoul and Washington has been ongoing for months, initially sparked by South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s public disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, North Korea, in March.
The schism between the two capitals has since been compounded by South Korea’s refusal to involve itself in the United States’ war against Iran.
During the audit, Kang responded to a question regarding the difficulties between Seoul and Washington, saying “intelligence cooperation is being discussed the most,” according to South Korean outlet SBS News.
She further said that intelligence sharing was raised during a Sept. 18 meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying that there was “talk that there are problems with intelligence cooperation.”
She added that, thus far, she didn’t think “the issue has been resolved sufficiently yet to the extent the U.S. side expects.”
Chang also said, in response to another question, that “there are limitations in our communication with the White House,” according to South Korean outlet YTN.
“I frequently meet with the White House [and National Security Council] and key figures,” Kang said, but added that “high-level consultations are not taking place to the extent I would like, to the point where even I find it frustrating.”
The ambassador, however, said that “progress had been made” in improving intelligence cooperation between Washington and Seoul, adding that the two countries’ intelligence agencies “have communicated with each other,” South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
Discussing the possibility of U.S. President Donald Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kang said that “the possibility always exists,” but it was difficult to say how likely such a summit was, according to SBS News.
She said that she understood that there have been no concrete developments yet, but added that “President Trump has sent messages several times indicating his willingness to talk, and we are constantly monitoring the background of these messages with the U.S. State Department and the [National Security Council].”
Kang also stressed that since Pyongyang has stated that it will not speak directly with Seoul, “the most important thing is for dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. to open.”
The Epoch Times contacted the White House, the U.S. State Department, and the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Trump said on Oct. 12 that he might meet with the North Korean leader during his planned visit to Asia next month.
Asked by a reporter whether he expects to meet Kim during the trip, Trump said: “I may. That will be exciting, won’t it? But I get along with him.”
The president is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for Nov. 18–19.
Trump met with Kim three times in 2018 and 2019 during his first term. Negotiations over Pyongyang’s nuclear program collapsed in 2019 due to disagreements over North Korea’s denuclearization efforts and the easing of U.S.-led sanctions.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been rising over the years due to North Korea’s repeated missile tests, the most recent of which took place on Oct. 12.
Alongside the missile launches from North and South Korea, tensions have been further strained after a pair of Seoul’s troops were injured last month in a mine blast in the demilitarized zone, which divides the two countries.
Both Seoul and the U.N. Command, the body that formally decides whether the armistice between the two Koreas has been breached, conducted investigations that laid the blame for the explosion at Pyongyang’s feet in September.
North Korea, however, dismissed these findings as a “farce,” accusing the South of engaging in “provocation.”
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