Lee says South Korea values US alliance but must avoid a submissive stance
President Lee Jae Myung called for differences with Washington to be managed through discussion, as South Korean officials offered differing explanations for reduced US intelligence sharing on North Korea.
President Lee Jae Myung said at an October 13 Cabinet meeting in Seoul that the US alliance remains important to South Korea, but its diplomacy must protect national interests and avoid a submissive stance. He said differences with Washington should be discussed and managed.
What is known about US intelligence sharing on North Korea
The remarks come amid differing accounts of a reported reduction in US intelligence sharing on North Korea. SBS reported on October 10 that a South Korean military official described sharing as limited to missile information and linked the restriction to Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s March remarks about a uranium-enrichment facility in Kusong. That is the official’s account of the cause.
SBS also quoted a senior South Korean government official who acknowledged a decrease in intelligence sharing but attributed it to US resources being focused on the Russia-Ukraine and US-Iran wars, rather than friction with Seoul. Washington’s rationale and the precise scope of the reduction remain unestablished in those accounts.
Sources and context
- (2nd LD) Lee stresses importance of U.S. alliance, says submissive stance should be shunnedYonhap News Agency
- “South Korea-US Alliance Important, but Subservient Attitudes Must Be Avoided”SBS News
- U.S. Intelligence Sharing on North Korea Limited to Missiles, Effectively Cut OffSBS News
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