Americas audit held amid Jung Chung-rae visa setback… Kang Kyung-wha on Chung Dong-young-triggered intelligence limits: "Communication with the White House is frustrating"
The National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held a joint audit on Oct. 12 (local time) at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., covering the embassy and the consulates general in Atlanta, Chicago and Houston, and another joint audit on Oct. 13 at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, covering the mission and the consulates general in New York and Boston. The audit — attended by committee Chairman Song Seok-joon and lawmakers Ko Dong-jin and Kim Gunn of the People Power Party, Park Sung-joon and Maeng Sung-kyu of the Democratic Party, and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon — drew public attention from the outset after Rep. Jung Chung-rae, a former Democratic Party leader, failed to obtain a visa. "I was scheduled to join the Americas team for the audit, but my aide was informed that my U.S. visa was still 'under review' at the State Department," Jung wrote on Facebook on Oct. 8. "Unable to wait any longer in a state that was neither approval nor denial, I urgently applied to switch to the Europe team." Jung later issued a press release saying, "Some speculate that my participation in the 1989 sit-in occupation of the U.S. Embassy became an issue, but if that were the problem, my visa should not have been issued for the committee's U.S. audit in 2012 either."
At the Oct. 12 audit, Kang drew attention by citing "intelligence cooperation" as the most difficult pending issue in current South Korea-U.S. relations. "Strategic investment in the U.S., including the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, was the hardest part until the announcement," Kang said. "At the Sept. 18 meeting between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, it was said that there was a problem with intelligence cooperation." Asked about South Korea's response to Rubio's request, Kang said, "I do not think the issue has yet been resolved to the extent the U.S. side expects."
Chung had courted controversy when he appeared before the committee on March 6 and, citing a report by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, mentioned Kusong in North Pyongan Province as a site of North Korean uranium enrichment facilities, in addition to the previously known sites of Yongbyon in North Pyongan Province and Kangson in Nampo. It was the first time a senior South Korean official had publicly identified Kusong as a North Korean uranium enrichment site. A series of reports followed that the U.S. had since withheld some intelligence on North Korea from the South Korean government.
Asked whether Rubio had raised the standing of Chung and National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok, both the subject of rumors that the U.S. was reluctant to admit them, Kang said, "As I recall, there was no mention of specific personnel." Kang said she had received a phone call from Chung after his remark about the Kusong nuclear facility, and described the U.S. reaction as "an issue about the remark, not a criticism of Minister Chung personally." "The issues are difficult, but the commitment and support for the alliance across the U.S. government and public rest on extraordinarily deep roots," Kang said. "The NIS is continuing to address intelligence cooperation, and I understand progress has been made." Still, she admitted: "I will concede that there are limits to communication with the White House. I meet frequently with the White House National Security Council (NSC) and key figures, but high-level consultations are not taking place as much as I would like — frustratingly so for me as well."
"DMZ mine blast was not an 'unexpected accident'… no progress on a North Korea-U.S. summit"
On South Korea's pursuit of enrichment and reprocessing rights following the summit with the U.S., Kang said, "I understand discussions are proceeding in the way that best serves both sides' interests, with various options on the table — whether revising the 123 Agreement or adding a separate arrangement." The 123 Agreement refers to the accord between South Korea and the U.S. under Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which sets out the conditions and procedures for countries seeking to use U.S. nuclear materials, equipment and technology.
On the DMZ mine explosion, Kang declared: "The Joint Chiefs of Staff have made clear it was definitely not a stray mine, and it is clear North Korea laid it. It was certainly not an unexpected accident." The remark was read as a disagreement with President Lee's Armed Forces Day comment. On Oct. 1, at the Armed Forces Day ceremony at Gyeryongdae in Chungcheongnam-do, Lee said, "My heart is still heavy when I think of the soldiers wounded in the unexpected accident," adding, "We will continue practical steps to lower military tensions between the two Koreas."
On the chances of a North Korea-U.S. summit, Kang said, "The possibility is always there, but it is hard to put a number on it. I understand there has been no concrete progress yet." She added: "President Trump has sent messages several times signaling his willingness to talk, and we are regularly checking with the State Department and the NSC on the background of those messages. But there are no concrete signs."
Ruling and opposition lawmakers also clashed over pending issues at the audit. Kim, a former diplomat, said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration has failed to cultivate a key figure among Trump's inner circle who supports the South Korea-U.S. alliance." Kang countered, "I take a different view of the claim that military channels are not working." Ko, of the same party, charged that Lee's plan for a 800 trillion won semiconductor investment in the Honam region had handed the Trump administration a pretext to pressure Samsung Electronics and SK hynix for additional U.S. investment.
Chairman Song asked Lee Kyung-eun, consul general in Houston, who attended the audit, whether she had been contacted by Kim Hyun-ji, the senior presidential secretary for the first office of the presidential staff, about her appointment. "I do not know Secretary Kim personally," the consul general replied. Song noted that her younger brother is attorney Lee Seung-yeop, who served as defense counsel for President Lee in the Daejang-dong case, and mentioned that he had been floated as a candidate for Constitutional Court justice. "My brother made his position clear on that matter from the start," she replied.
Han, the independent lawmaker, said the U.S. suspects South Korea of leaking intelligence following Chung's remark about the Kusong nuclear facility, and pressed Kang on whether Rubio had strongly demanded preventive measures during his meeting with Cho. He also claimed Rubio had raised the issue of a major South Korean conglomerate halting talks on deals with a leading U.S. defense firm over concerns about possible Chinese sanctions. Kang demurred, saying, "It is difficult to confirm the specifics."
At a briefing with correspondents after the morning session, Han reiterated, "Rubio deliberately delivered a message to Minister Cho at the national level." Park of the Democratic Party pushed back: "Has that been confirmed as fact? Framing questions on the premise that it is fact is itself inappropriate."
Park responded to the opposition's claim that South Korea-U.S. relations have fractured, saying, "The Trump administration also views alliances in transactional terms." "Because of U.S. 'America First' interests, many points of contention are bound to arise not only in military security but also on the economic front," Park said. "To shake things up by claiming the alliance has fractured over a single diplomatic dispute reflects a failure to see the broader currents of the international order."
Cha Ji-hoon rebuked as "an amateur": "Why not refer it to the Security Council?"… daughter's residence stay sparks "dad card" dispute
The diplomatic response to the DMZ mine explosion was also a topic at the Oct. 13 audit in New York. Most of the lawmakers' questions were directed at Cha alone, after he demanded an apology from North Korea in a recent speech at the U.N. General Assembly. In a general debate speech at the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) of the 81st U.N. General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Oct. 8, Cha called the incident "a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement" and said, "North Korea must halt escalatory acts and offer an apology and responsible measures." Thanks (?) to Cha, Consul General in New York Kim Sang-ho and Consul General in Boston Ahn Eun-ju had relatively few chances to speak.
Kim, in particular, clucked at Cha's claim that "a statement at the General Assembly carries more effect than sending a letter to the Security Council," saying dismissively, "How can the General Assembly's First Committee be the same as the Security Council?" Kim asked the mission's entire staff whether they had ever heard of a case in which North Korean provocations were addressed at the General Assembly rather than the Security Council. When one answered, "There was one during the Korean War," Kim cut in: "That was when the Security Council was blocked; there have been none since." When Cha replied that "under the current configuration it is difficult for the Security Council to reach a meaningful decision," Kim pressed: "It is enough for the 13 of the 15 Security Council members other than China and Russia to back us and put pressure on North Korea." When Cha said, "We formally raised the issue sufficiently at the First Committee and also undertook activities at the General Assembly urging North Korea to apologize," Kim retorted, "The General Assembly is merely a warm-up on the way to the Security Council." Asked whether he had checked other countries' reactions to his First Committee speech, Cha said, "I was busy preparing for the audit," and asked back, "How can I gauge the reactions of all 193 countries?" When Cha said, "A Security Council response is under review at the Foreign Ministry headquarters," Kim shot back, "Headquarters told me they can't go to the Security Council because they think you wouldn't handle it properly."
What set the Oct. 13 session apart from the previous day was the considerable time devoted to debate over Cha's qualifications. Han, in particular, pounded relentlessly on Cha's lack of diplomatic experience and his living with his daughter. Cha, a former lawyer with no diplomatic experience whatsoever, took up the post on Sept. 18 last year. He passed the bar exam the same year as President Lee and is known to be personally close to him. In 2020, when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi-do, Cha joined the defense team in Lee's election law violation case and helped secure a reversal and remand in favor of acquittal. From 2009 to 2017, he also served as an advisory attorney for Seongnam City.
"Didn't you post the wedding invitation for President Lee's son in your class group chat?" Han asked, adding repeatedly: "Justice minister or minister of legislation, fine — but why did you want the U.N. ambassadorship, a post filled only by professionals, when you are an amateur?" Cha repeatedly answered, "I cannot speak about matters related to appointment authority." He also dodged Ko's question, "Didn't you want the post?" Opposition lawmakers told Cha several times that he had "done nothing" and was "an amateur."
Asked by Ko about "rumors that you wanted the U.N. post because your daughter lives in New York," Cha said, "My daughter lives with me and works here." He explained that his daughter had originally lived in the Brooklyn area of New York and began living at the official residence late last year, after he took up the post. Han then said, "Isn't it odd for a grown daughter who had been paying rent in New York, where the cost of living is brutal, to move in with her father at a residence staffed with cooks and managers?" — pressing Cha on whether he had used his personal ties to President Lee to secure the U.N. post because of family matters. Cha protested: "You find it odd; from my standpoint it is not. The rules allow unmarried children to live with us." Under the enforcement decree of the Passport Act, children eligible for diplomatic passports are limited to unmarried children under 24.
Ruling party: "The Yoon administration ruined diplomacy"… Trump's moves draw notice: "I may meet Kim Jong-un on my Asia trip"
Han also repeatedly asked Cha whether he considered the DMZ explosion an unexpected accident. Cha replied only, "I explained that in my First Committee speech." Asked whether he agreed with Chung's remark that "it cannot yet be specified as an attack," Cha deflected, saying, "There are various contexts involved." Still, he criticized North Korea's use of Chung's remark as a defense of its own position as "self-serving." Kim Yo-jong, in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 8, mocked: "Inside South Korea, with many questions about the mine explosion still unexplained, there is nothing but an endless dogfight over whether it was 'an accident or a provocation.'" She added, "Chung Dong-young, a South Korean official, himself confessed that it is difficult to conclude the mine explosion was a deliberate attack by our republic." At the General Assembly the same day, the North Korean side again invoked Chung's name right after Cha's speech, asserting that "a South Korean official also said, in effect, that it is difficult to judge the mine explosion as a deliberate North Korean attack."
Opposition lawmakers repeatedly asked Cha to correct what they said was a smirking expression. Han raised his voice several times, asking, "Do you find lawmakers' questions amusing?" Chairman Song issued two "stern warnings," saying Cha was "showing an insincere attitude, repeatedly evading with equivocal answers and a smiling face."
As the opposition's offensive intensified, ruling party lawmakers defended the mission chiefs by citing diplomatic missteps under the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Citing former Consul General in New York Kim Eui-hwan's remarks of Aug. 15, 2024, Park thundered: "The previous administration ruined diplomacy, with a consul general making outrageous remarks on Liberation Day. The Kim Keon-hee line divided the Korean community — a complete failure of diplomacy." At a Liberation Day ceremony at the Korean Community Center in New York, Kim had sparked controversy by saying of a commemorative address by Lee Jong-chan, head of the Heritage of Korean Independence, criticizing a campaign to designate a National Foundation Day: "Listening to such nonsense made me wonder whether I should be sitting here." Kim also said, "Liberation Day is a day to express gratitude to the United States." Park said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration is raising the stature of our diplomacy in world-historical terms," and urged Cha "to play a role in keeping the Security Council's North Korea sanctions resolutions in place while drawing North Korea into dialogue." Maeng also encouraged him: "Show with confidence that one can do this job perfectly well without being a career diplomat."
While the North Korean issue stirred public opinion in South Korea, Trump again signaled his eagerness to meet Kim Jong-un this year, even during the midterm election period. Asked by reporters at the White House on Oct. 12 whether he planned to meet Kim during his trip to Asia, Trump said, "It could happen." He left open the possibility of meeting Kim while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18-19.
Judging by this audit, South Korea's diplomatic leverage toward North Korea appears to have weakened considerably while Pyongyang holds out on the back of Chinese and Russian economic support since the start of the Trump administration. Significant hurdles also remain in South Korea-U.S. relations, as Trump's tendency to discount the security value of alliances combines with gaffes by South Korean officials. How South Korea navigates obstacles such as the North Korean nuclear threat and U.S. trade pressure will also determine the shock to markets, including foreign exchange and finance.
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