There had been talk that every time President Lee Jae-myung went on an overseas tour, turmoil broke out in the ruling camp. Hard-line lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea on The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee had often clashed with the party leadership while pushing ahead with bills such as prosecutorial reform. They forced ahead with a Supreme Court chief justice confirmation hearing during the president's U.N. General Assembly speech and floated a bill to suspend the president's trial during the APEC summit. But during this tour of India and Vietnam, rifts emerged within the government's foreign affairs and security line.
The trigger was Minister Chung Dong-young of the Ministry of Unification mentioning at the National Assembly the existence of nuclear facilities in Gusong, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. He said that in addition to Yongbyon and Kangson, there is a uranium enrichment facility in Gusong and that weapons-grade uranium is produced there at 90%, far higher than Iran's enrichment level of 60%.
The United States then reportedly lodged a formal protest, saying the minister had leaked "security secrets." It was also said that sharing of intelligence on North Korea was restricted for more than 10 days.
In response, the minister explained that the information had been made public in the past by the CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) in the United States, among others, but Victor Cha, the CSIS Korea Chair, directly refuted this, saying, "We have never produced such a report."
The controversy continued. A ruling party lawmaker on the parliamentary foreign affairs committee said there were past materials issued by the ISIS (Institute for Science and International Security) in the United States and claimed the United States was effectively lying. President Lee Jae-myung also posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) on the 22nd during his trip that was seen as defending the minister.
The situation then broadened into calls to identify who had leaked to the media the U.S. formal protest, among other things. As the president said, "We need to look closely into why such a preposterous situation is unfolding," talk emerged that inspections and disciplinary action could follow immediately after the president's return.
Analysts say this situation stems from a long-standing conflict between the self-reliance faction and the alliance faction within the foreign affairs and security line. The alliance faction is seen as prioritizing the South Korea–U.S. alliance, while the self-reliance faction is viewed as favoring a conciliatory policy toward North Korea.
Under the Lee Jae-myung administration, conflicts between the self-reliance and alliance factions surfaced last year amid negotiations with the United States on trade and security. A prime example was former Minister of Unification Jeong Se-hyun, an elder of the self-reliance camp, calling Wi Sung-lac, the director of the Office of National Security and de facto head of the alliance camp, a "target for reform," saying he "distorts the facts."
There is also talk that after the June local elections, with a possible reshuffle of the foreign and security lineup in mind, the self-reliance and alliance factions have entered a full-fledged power struggle. Following the U.S. restriction on sharing intelligence on North Korea, there is talk that the National Intelligence Service has grown dissatisfied with the Ministry of Unification.
The opposition submitted a motion to dismiss Minister Chung Dong-young, saying he damaged trust between South Korea and the United States by disclosing sensitive information. Shin Sung-beom, chair of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee from the People Power Party, said, "The words of private experts—analysis, predictions, assumptions—and those of the minister of unification carry different weight," adding, "Information related to North Korea's nuclear program is top secret among secrets and is extremely confidential."
President Lee Jae-myung returns on the 24th. A political insider said, "I am curious how the president will mediate the conflict between the self-reliance and alliance factions."