Chung Dong-young: “Take off the blue and red glasses; calls for resignation are ideological mudslinging” ... South Korea-U.S. alliance remains unshaken

[Financial News] Unification Minister Chung Dong-young hit back at the conservative opposition’s calls for his resignation, calling them ideological mudslinging, and made clear he had no intention of stepping down. He also said claims that disruptions in communication between South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies were shaking the alliance were completely baseless. Chung made the remarks at a briefing in the Unification Ministry press room at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, Seoul, on the 12th.
“Calls for my removal or resignation are ideological mudslinging. What needs to be removed is a biased view of the alliance,” Chung said. He also argued that interests can either align or conflict.
He also urged, “There’s no need to waste energy on ideological mudslinging. We should institutionalize peaceful coexistence at this turning point.” Chung added, “If you look through blue or red glasses, all you see is that color,” arguing that “we need to take off the glasses and look.”
Chung also dismissed as untrue reports that a meeting with National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok fell through during a senior CIA official’s visit to South Korea late last year. It had been reported that the two sides clashed over whether the U.S. intelligence official should first visit National Security Office Director Wi Seong-lac or the NIS director, resulting in the meeting with Lee being called off.
Chung also said, “There was a crisis in the South Korea-U.S. alliance under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, but the two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA), and the alliance was not damaged. There was also talk of a crisis in the alliance under the Moon Jae-in administration.”
Chung then said, “There may even be a golf meeting between the South Korean and U.S. leaders in December,” adding that there was no problem at all with the alliance.
A golf meeting is being actively pursued as a likely event alongside the G20 summit in Miami this December. President Lee Jae-myung has reportedly been practicing recently for “golf diplomacy” with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Chung maintained his previous position on the North Korean landmine attack. He said that when Rep. Han Dong-hoon referred to it as a landmine attack during a parliamentary audit, he had said it could not be definitively identified as such.
He said, “We are still verifying North Korea’s intentions. In the broader context, the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) must be aligned to prevent accidents. That is the fundamental cause.”
He added that “the MDL issue could also be discussed at future summits between South Korea and the U.S. and between North Korea and the U.S.”
Asked about claims that North Korea was exploiting Chung’s remarks at the parliamentary audit, he said, “I can’t agree with that,” explaining, “I’m neither submissive nor overbearing toward North Korea; I’m taking a proper stance.”
Chung described the Unification Ministry’s proposed medical equipment support for North Korea, worth around 9.3 billion won, as inter-Korean health cooperation.
“‘Support’ is an outdated term. There’s a lot South and North Korea can cooperate on in the health sector. We put together a health and medical cooperation package as part of that process. It’s not aid; it’s cooperation,” he said.
Chung also said misunderstandings needed to be cleared up over the suspension of intelligence sharing between South Korea and the U.S. in connection with his remarks about the disclosure of secrets concerning a nuclear facility in Kusong, North Korea. “They take issue with my remarks about Kusong at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee this March, when I was serving as minister, but I had already made remarks about Kusong eight months earlier, in July 2025, when I was a lawmaker,” he said, arguing that the fact had already been disclosed. [email protected] Reporter Kim Kyung-soo

[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter