South Korea says it is unaware of US protest over minister's remarks on North Korea nuclear site

South Korea‘s ⁠Unification Ministry said on Friday it ⁠was unaware of any U.S. protest or curbs on intelligence sharing after a media report said Washington was unhappy about a cabinet minister’s disclosure of a previously unconfirmed North Korean nuclear ⁠site.

The ministry said it had explained to the U.S. that Minister Chung Dong-young‘s public remarks about a North Korean nuclear facility at Kusong were based on publicly available information, including international research reports, and understood that its explanation had been accepted.

The Dong-A Ilbo reported that the U.S. had conveyed its displeasure to Seoul after Chung said at a parliamentary hearing on March 6 that North Korea had a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, alongside well-known sites in Yongbyon and Kangson.

The newspaper, citing ⁠sources ⁠in South Korea and the United States, said Washington had indicated it would partially restrict the sharing of North Korea-related intelligence with Seoul, with Chung’s remarks serving as the trigger amid broader accumulated U.S. frustration over a series of bilateral foreign and security disagreements.

Asked if the United States had restricted the sharing of North Korea-related intelligence with South Korea or planned to, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department ⁠said: “We do not comment on intelligence matters.”

A Unification Ministry spokesperson said at a press briefing that it had “sufficiently explained the background” on Chung’s remarks after an inquiry from the U.S. Embassy in South Korea and understood “the U.S. side had accepted” the explanation.

In separate comments to Reuters, the ministry said that if there had been any U.S. measures, it did not believe they ⁠were directly ‌related to ‌the minister’s comments.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul had ⁠no immediate comment.

Chung told the parliamentary ‌committee in March that North Korea had been enriching weapons-grade uranium at Yongbyon, Kangson and Kusong, citing remarks by International ⁠Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi at a board ⁠of governors meeting that month.

The IAEA transcript of Grossi’s introductory statement shows he ⁠mentioned only facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson, with no reference to Kusong.