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| ▲ In this file photo taken Oct. 26, 2018, then Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (R) speaks with First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun during a parliamentary audit session at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
S Korean envoy-US
Seoul's top envoy to U.S., FM Cho discuss N.K. intel controversy, Coupang issue
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Monday to discuss ways to address growing friction with Washington over intelligence-sharing on North Korea and U.S. claims of discrimination against Coupang Inc., sources said.
Their meeting came amid signs of a potential rift between the allies following reports that the U.S. has begun to restrict its intelligence-sharing on North Korea in response to what it sees as a leak of classified information on a North Korean nuclear facility by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young.
Seoul and Washington have also been at odds over what some in the U.S. view as unfair treatment of the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant currently under probe in Seoul over its massive breach of personal information involving more than 33 million users. Last week, U.S. Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Kang urging Seoul to stop its "targeted assault" on Coupang.
Those issues have emerged as possible reasons for the limited progress in implementing the allies' summit agreement on security-related matters, including on Seoul's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, and secure uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities.
In Monday's meeting, Kang, a former foreign minister, told Cho the U.S. shares the view that the two sides should not escalate the issue of intelligence-sharing on North Korea and that the matter should be carefully managed to avoid negative impact on the alliance, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Kang also reportedly discussed with Cho broader implications of the Coupang issue and shared her view on the current mood in the U.S. regarding the matter.
The South Korean Embassy in Washington has been striving to reassure the U.S. side, including Congress, that the Coupang issue is a matter being handled in line with due domestic judicial procedures and that it should be addressed separately from their security talks.
Their meeting came days after Vice Foreign Minister Jeong Yeon-doo met with Allison Hooker, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, in Washington to discuss issues surrounding the alleged leak of U.S. intelligence-sharing on North Korea.
Jeong said after his meeting with Hooker that the two sides were making efforts to normalize the situation.
Kang was reportedly on a brief trip back home for personal reasons.
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