The United States has partially restricted the sharing of satellite data on North Korea with South Korea, following statements made by the South Korean Unification Minister about a nuclear site operated by Pyongyang in March, several media outlets reported on Tuesday. The Pentagon did not respond to this statement.
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told the National Assembly that North Korea was suspected of operating a uranium enrichment site. If confirmed, this would be a crucial step in the production of nuclear weapons in the Kusong region (northwest).
The United States then accused the minister of disclosing sensitive information from American intelligence without authorization, and has since “limited” the data sharing with Seoul, according to the Yonhap news agency and several South Korean media outlets.
These restrictions have been in place “since early April,” a South Korean military official anonymously told Yonhap on Tuesday, adding that they “do not significantly affect military readiness.”
“The collection and sharing of intelligence on North Korean military activities continue normally between South Korean and American authorities, as before,” he emphasized.
South Korean ministries of Unification and Defense, as well as the Pentagon, have declined to make any official comments.
Critics have raised concerns about Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities, while opposition to Chung Dong-young labeled his remarks as a leak. The South Korean President Lee Jae Myung defended his minister, stating that the existence of the Kusong site was a “well-known fact,” documented by academic research and press articles.
This incident comes as the President of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi warned last week at a press conference in Seoul about a “very alarming increase” in North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, is under UN sanctions due to its weapons programs and cut off access to IAEA inspectors in 2009.
