The US has partly restricted intelligence sharing with South Korea after the country\u2019s unification minister publicly identified a suspected North Korean nuclear site, according to reports in South Korean media.<\/p>\n
Chung Dong-young told lawmakers in March<\/a> that North Korea was operating uranium enrichment facilities in Kusong, a north-western area that had not previously been officially confirmed as a nuclear site alongside the known facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson.<\/p>\n A senior military official told the state-funded Yonhap news agency<\/a> on Tuesday that Washington had imposed partial restrictions on sharing satellite-gathered intelligence about North Korean technology since early this month, though surveillance of missile activity continued normally and military readiness remained unaffected.<\/p>\n The restrictions followed what South Korean outlets described as multiple protests<\/a> from US officials, who expressed concern that sensitive information had been disclosed without authorisation.<\/p>\n No US agency has confirmed the restrictions on record. The Guardian contacted the US embassy in Seoul for comment.<\/p>\n Chung has defended his remarks<\/a>, saying they were based on publicly available research rather than classified intelligence.<\/p>\n He told reporters on Monday it was \u201cdeeply regrettable\u201d that his policy explanation had been characterised as an information leak. \u201cThis is open information,\u201d Chung said, citing a 2016 report by a US thinktank and South Korean media coverage.<\/p>\n He noted he had mentioned Kusong during his confirmation hearing last year without incident. Writing on Facebook<\/a>, he said he was \u201cbewildered\u201d the issue had suddenly become a problem nine months later.<\/p>\n President Lee Jae Myung, whose administration is pursuing a conciliatory approach towards North Korea, backed his minister. Writing on X<\/a>, Lee said it was a \u201cclear fact\u201d that Kusong\u2019s existence had been widely reported in academic papers and media before Chung\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n \u201cAny claims or actions premised on the assumption that minister Chung leaked classified information provided by the United States are wrong,\u201d Lee wrote from Delhi during a state visit to India. \u201cI must look closely into why such an absurd situation is unfolding.\u201d<\/p>\n The restrictions come amid broader tensions in the alliance, according to South Korean media reports.<\/p>\n The progressive newspaper Hankyoreh reported<\/a> that Washington had cited several grievances when notifying Seoul of the measures, including pending legislation<\/a> that would grant Seoul authority over access to the demilitarised zone<\/a>, an area currently managed exclusively by the US-led UN command.<\/p>\n Conservative opposition politicians have called for Chung\u2019s dismissal, describing his remarks as damaging to the alliance with Washington. In a statement<\/a>, the People Power party called it a \u201cclear security disaster\u201d.<\/p>\n The unification ministry maintains<\/a> it had sufficiently explained the basis for Chung\u2019s remarks to the US and that no classified information was involved.<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s defence ministry declined to specify details about intelligence sharing arrangements but said close cooperation with the US continued.<\/p>\n The 2016 report<\/a> Chung later cited in his defence, by the Institute for Science and International Security, identified a suspected early centrifuge research facility near Panghyon air base in the Kusong area but described it as a \u201cpreliminary site identification\u201d requiring further confirmation.<\/p>\n North Korea is believed to have significantly expanded its nuclear programme in recent years.<\/p>\n Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said during a visit to Seoul last week<\/a> that the agency had confirmed \u201ca rapid increase in the operations\u201d of the Yongbyon reactor.<\/p>\n