Seoul: Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed regret over claims that his reference to North Korea's Kusong region as a nuclear facility site during a parliamentary session was an information leak. He clarified that his remarks were part of an effort to explain South Korea's North Korea policy.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the controversy arose after Minister Chung described Kusong as hosting uranium enrichment facilities, a claim that sparked allegations of sensitive intelligence disclosure. Officially, only Yongbyon and Kangson have been recognized as North Korean uranium enrichment sites, though Kusong has been mentioned in some research circles.

Minister Chung emphasized that his comments were intended to highlight the seriousness of North Korea's nuclear activities and were not meant to leak classified information. He expressed disappointment at the framing of his remarks as an information leak, stating, "Framing it as an information leak is very regrettable."

The United States reportedly expressed concerns about Chung's statements, suspecting they were based on shared intelligence, and has since stopped sharing satellite data on North Korea with South Korea. However, the unification ministry argues that Chung's statements were grounded in publicly available information, including expert analyses and media reports, not U.S. intelligence.

Chung reiterated that his mention of Kusong was based on open information, dismissing the leak allegations as unfounded. He questioned the motive behind reviving this issue months after his initial comments and urged for the national interest to guide the resolution of this matter.

In a blog post, Chung described the leak claims as "absurd," asserting that he had never received intelligence briefings on nuclear sites from any intelligence agencies since assuming office.

Meanwhile, South Korea's defense ministry assured that there are no issues with the military's readiness posture or in the cooperation with the U.S. regarding intelligence sharing on North Korea. Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna affirmed, "There are no issues in South Korea-U.S. cooperation regarding the collection and sharing of North Korea-related information."