Members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee from the People Power Party said it was true that the United States imposed limits on intelligence sharing after Minister Chung Dong-young's "Gusong remark," and urged the Minister's dismissal and a pledge to prevent a recurrence.
Lee Sung-kwon, a People Power Party lawmaker who serves as the opposition secretary of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, met with reporters at the National Assembly on the morning of the 27th and conveyed the People Power Party's position on the Minister's remarks about a nuclear facility in Gusong, North Korea.
Lee said, "We confirmed that the United States considers the Minister's remarks a leak of sensitive information that Seoul and Washington must manage, and it was also confirmed that limits on intelligence sharing were imposed in early April and have continued for nearly a month to date."
He added, "Although the government authorities' position is that the restrictions are limited and therefore not a serious problem, if they drag on, there is concern that constraints will grow on monitoring unusual internal trends in North Korea," and noted, "It has also been confirmed through various channels that our intelligence authorities conducted a supplementary review of the Ministry of Unification, including the Minister of Unification."
Lee said, "By specifying the area of Gusong in his remarks, the Minister can be seen as having caused considerable dissatisfaction on the U.S. side," adding, "Even before that, he made light comments about the frequency, number of instances, and amount related to North Korea's plutonium extraction, causing significant setbacks."
He said, "The Democratic Party of Korea, which shirked its security responsibility, and the National Intelligence Service should apologize to the public and immediately agree to convene an Intelligence Committee meeting," adding, "The start of handling the Chung Dong-young situation is the Minister's dismissal."