Seoul:A recent exclusion of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) from a trilateral meeting with the United States and Japan has raised concerns about potential friction in the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the NIS confirmed it was left out of the June meeting on North Korean cyber threats, reportedly at the request of Washington. Although the NIS attempted to downplay the significance of the exclusion, it has nonetheless sparked worries about the state of bilateral ties.
The South Korean industry ministry also denied a report suggesting that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had expressed distrust towards the NIS during discussions on strategic investment projects. Despite this, a senior ruling bloc insider acknowledged that ongoing issues have impacted the overall bilateral relationship.
Tensions have also been observed in intelligence-sharing, particularly after South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young revealed details of a North Korean uranium enrichment facility, leading the U.S. to restrict intelligence access to South Korea.
Calls have been made for National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac to visit Washington to address the situation; however, no plans have been confirmed for such a visit. Meanwhile, the ruling Democratic Party expressed dissatisfaction over the delayed U.S. visa for former party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who intended to visit for a parliamentary audit.
The main opposition People Power Party suggested that strains in diplomatic, intelligence, and security sectors may be affecting the visa process. However, a South Korean foreign ministry official cautioned against linking the visa issue with South Korea-U.S. relations, emphasizing the confidential nature of visa reviews under U.S. law.
