NIS Exclusion From Trilateral Cyber Meeting Fuels Alliance Concerns in Seoul

SEOUL — The exclusion of South Korea’s intelligence service from a trilateral meeting with the United States and Japan has intensified political concern in Seoul about communication and trust within the Korea-US alliance.

The National Intelligence Service acknowledged Thursday that it did not participate in a June meeting focused on North Korean cyber threats. The acknowledgment followed a news report saying the agency had been left out at Washington’s request. Although the NIS played down the incident, it added to a series of developments being scrutinized for signs of friction between the allies.

The Industry Ministry separately rejected a local report alleging that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had expressed distrust of the NIS during bilateral negotiations over strategic investment projects. The denial underscored that some of the claims circulating around the relationship remain disputed, even as officials and lawmakers call for closer attention to the overall state of the alliance.

A senior figure in the ruling bloc said several issues had affected bilateral ties and warned that problems in intelligence cooperation were undesirable. The concerns extend beyond the June cyber meeting. Earlier tension emerged after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young disclosed information in March about a North Korean uranium enrichment facility in Kusong. Chung has maintained that the information was already publicly available, but Washington subsequently restricted Seoul’s access to some intelligence concerning North Korea in an apparent response to the disclosure.

The developments have prompted suggestions that National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac should travel to Washington for talks aimed at easing the strain. A ruling bloc official said there appeared to be no current plan for such a visit, while acknowledging that the situation required officials to consider a range of options.

A separate visa delay has also entered the political debate. The ruling Democratic Party expressed regret Friday that Rep. Jung Chung-rae, a former party leader, had not yet received a US visa for a planned parliamentary audit trip involving South Korean diplomatic missions in the Americas. A party spokesperson said the application remained under review and urged diplomatic authorities in both countries to resolve the matter promptly.

The main opposition People Power Party said the government should examine whether persistent warning signs across diplomacy, intelligence and security reflected weaknesses in communication or trust with Washington. Taken together, the disputes have shifted attention from individual incidents to the mechanisms Seoul and Washington use to manage sensitive intelligence and diplomatic issues.