Controversy Erupts: Did South Korea’s Unification Minister Mislead on Nuclear Facilities?
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[Anchor] The controversy over Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young’s remarks about a nuclear facility in Guseong has escalated into a contentious fact-finding battle and shows no sign of easing. Opposition parties are demanding his dismissal while the government rejects the accusations, and the dispute continues to intensify. Park Su-ju reports. [Reporter] Rep. Seong Il-jong, chair of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, claimed the U.S. Forces Korea commander made an “urgent protest visit” to the Defense Ministry over Minister Jeong’s comments. After the Defense Ministry denied that claim, Seong held a follow-up press conference, citing specific dates to press his case. 「Seong Il-jong / Chair, National Defense Committee」 Please clarify whether the USFK commander visited the Defense Ministry building on March 10 and 11. The Defense Ministry said the commander did not visit on the 10th, and that on the 11th the two sides held a prearranged meeting that was later disclosed publicly. It said there was no surprise visit to lodge a protest. Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek also personally denied the allegation. 「Ahn Kyu-baek / Minister of National Defense」 I want to make clear that it is entirely false that the USFK commander protested to the South Korean defense minister. Also, there are not that many strictly restricted items in U.S.-Korea information sharing. Rep. Seong criticized Minister Jeong’s reliance on a 2016 report from the U.S. think tank Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), arguing the report never mentions Guseong and calling the minister’s explanation a “false defense.” But the report, authored by the institute’s director David Albright, drew on U.S. government sources and satellite-image analysis to identify areas around Banghyeon Air Base as likely sites for uranium-enrichment centrifuge facilities. Banghyeon Air Base falls within Guseong, and Guseong has historically been described by more specific local place names — Yongdeok-dong, Banghyeon-dong, and Jangundaesan — where military facilities are concentrated. 「Lee Chun-geun / Director, KAIST」 That was already about 10 years ago. Albright’s think tank published very detailed findings in 2016 — what’s secret about that? Opposition members on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee have called for an emergency inquiry and demanded Minister Jeong’s immediate removal. With the atypical leak of U.S. restricted information and the ensuing political offensive, the controversy shows no sign of abating. This is Park Su-ju for Yonhap News TV. [Video shooting: Park Tae-beom, Lee Seung-wook] [Video editing: Ham Seong-woong] For Yonhap News TV reporting inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23 Park Su-ju (sooju@yna.co.kr)
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