NIS says past misunderstanding with US intelligence resolved, cooperation ongoing

South Korea's National Intelligence Service drew a line Thursday against media reports of discord with US intelligence counterparts, saying a misunderstanding that arose several months ago was already a thing of the past. The NIS added that it is "currently cooperating closely across all security domains" and urged the press to exercise caution in its reporting. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, however, called the NIS response an attempt to silence the media and signaled he would raise further allegations.

In a statement issued Thursday, the NIS said misunderstandings between countries can arise from differences in national interest, but that what matters is resolving them promptly. "There is currently no misunderstanding between the South Korean and US intelligence authorities," it said.

The statement rebutted reports that the United States had asked for the NIS to be excluded from the fifth meeting of the South Korea-US-Japan working group on countering North Korean cyber threats, held in Washington in late June.

The NIS also addressed speculation that the US had restricted sharing of intelligence on North Korean nuclear facilities following Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young's remarks about a North Korean nuclear facility in Gusong. The agency said "there was some misunderstanding several months ago, but that is already in the past," adding that it is now "cooperating closely with the US across all security domains, including cyber and North Korea."

The NIS did not elaborate on the nature of the past misunderstanding or how it was resolved.

The NIS said it "feels responsible" for the fact that the movements of an intelligence agency — information that should not be made public — had been exposed in the press, and described itself as "an agency that protects South Korea's national interests in the intelligence domain."

It also urged media outlets to consider "whether reporting on such matters serves any practical purpose beyond causing division between South Korea and the United States."

Amid the NIS response, Han criticized the agency on SNS.

Han said that after he raised the issue at a national audit of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, additional facts showing "serious problems in the South Korea-US relationship" had been disclosed through multiple media outlets — and that "the NIS under Lee Jong-seok is now attempting to silence the press."

He also questioned whether the public should simply stop asking questions on a matter of critical national interest just because the NIS says there was "a misunderstanding." "That cannot be the case," he said. "I will make sure it isn't."