Why was South Korea’s National Intelligence Service excluded from the June trilateral meeting on North Korean cyber threats?

The NIS was reportedly left out at the request of the U.S. side. The request is believed to have followed Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s parliamentary remarks identifying Kusong as a North Korean uranium enrichment site, which Chung said was based on publicly available information.

What happened during the trilateral working group meeting on North Korean cyber threats?

More than 60 participants from ministries and agencies in South Korea, the United States and Japan exchanged assessments of North Korea’s illicit cyber activities and discussed ways to counter the threats. The group was established after the leaders’ Camp David summit agreement to strengthen security cooperation.

How did the National Intelligence Service respond to its exclusion from the meeting?

The NIS said a misunderstanding several months earlier was now a thing of the past and emphasized that no misunderstanding existed between South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities. It also said it was working closely with the United States on cyber and North Korea-related security matters.

NIS excluded from June meeting with US, Japan over N. Korean cyber threats

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Summary

The National Intelligence Service was excluded from a June trilateral meeting in Washington and Tokyo on North Korean cyber threats after a U.S. request. The NIS acknowledged there had been a misunderstanding but said it was resolved and that intelligence authorities from South Korea and the U.S. were cooperating closely. More than 60 officials discussed North Korea’s illicit cyber activities and countermeasures. The U.S. request was reportedly linked to Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s public remarks about a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong.

Key Facts

The fifth Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group meeting was the first session believed to take place without the NIS.
The working group began in December 2023 after the South Korean, U.S. and Japanese leaders agreed at the August 2023 Camp David summit to strengthen security cooperation.
Participants from relevant ministries and agencies exchanged assessments of North Korea’s illicit cyber activities and discussed ways to counter cyber threats.
Chung Dong-young said in a March parliamentary session that North Korea operates uranium enrichment facilities in Kusong, Yongbyon and Kangson.
Chung said his reference to Kusong was based on information already in the public domain.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 8, 2026 3:39 pm KST

National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok leaves the National Assembly in Seoul after attending a plenary session of the parliamentary committee on intelligence, Sept. 30. Joint Press Corps

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) was left out of a June trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo on North Korean cyber threats, the agency effectively acknowledged Thursday.

The exclusion belatedly came to light after a local newspaper reported that the spy agency had been barred from the fifth meeting of the Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group at the request of the U.S. side.

"There had been some misunderstanding several months ago, but it is now a thing of the past," the NIS said, all but acknowledging the report.

"Among states, misunderstandings can happen over different national interests. What matters is how to solve them in a timely manner," it said, adding, "There is no misunderstanding between intelligence authorities of South Korea and the U.S."

"The NIS is working closely with the U.S. side on security matters such as cyber and North Korea," it said.

The trilateral working group held its inaugural meeting in December 2023, following the summit between the leaders at Camp David, Maryland, in August that year, when they agreed to strengthen security cooperation.

The June session is believed to be the first without the NIS. The meeting brought together more than 60 participants from relevant ministries and agencies of the three countries to exchange assessments of North Korea's illicit cyber activities and discuss ways to effectively counter cyber threats.

The U.S. request is believed to have been prompted by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's remarks during a parliamentary session in March that North Korea runs a third uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, alongside in Yongbyon and Kangson.

Chung has said he only shared what was already in the public domain.

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