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[Herald Economy reporter Moon Hye-hyun] Officials say lingering disagreements between Washington and Seoul \u2014 including trade frictions involving e-commerce firm Coupang \u2014 continue to complicate security negotiations and could affect projects such as the construction of nuclear-powered submarines. South Korea\u2013U.S. security talks have effectively stalled, and analysts warn that poor handling of these disputes could derail implementation of agreed measures.<\/p>\n
At a press briefing hosted by the Korean Newspaper and Broadcasting Editors Association on the 13th, National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lak was asked whether economic disputes like those involving Coupang, which have been flagged as U.S.-Korea trade concerns, are influencing security consultations. \u201cEconomic and security issues overlap in investment matters. Coupang is one of those cases,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe face new challenges in carrying out the U.S.\u2013Korea agreements,\u201d Wi added. \u201cWe are managing these issues. If they are mishandled, the agreements could unravel, so we are working to prevent that. Coupang is one of the items we\u2019re monitoring. Managing a few of these matters is urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said security talks are \u201csomewhat stalled\u201d and need to be put back on track. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my main priorities,\u201d he said, noting that with this year being an election year, the available time may be limited.<\/p>\n
On the transfer of wartime operational control \u2014 a central task for the Lee Jae-myung administration \u2014 Wi said, \u201cWe will complete the roadmap to restore wartime operational control this year and pursue final verification of full operational capability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cU.S. and South Korean defense authorities are pushing for an expedited transfer of wartime operational control,\u201d he said. \u201cOur military is transforming into a democratic force suited to future security environments. We are seeking increases in defense spending and other capabilities so the South Korean armed forces can take a leading role in defending the peninsula.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding the unidentified aerial object that struck the South Korean ship HMM Namu, Wi said, \u201cWe do not have sufficient grounds to conclude this was a drone. If it wasn\u2019t a drone, it could have been a missile. Several possibilities remain open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressed on who carried out the attack, he cautioned against assigning blame without firm evidence. \u201cYou can\u2019t point to an entire country and accuse it just because circumstances raise suspicions. Just as you wouldn\u2019t single out and accuse someone in a legal dispute before there\u2019s proof, the same, or more so, applies between states.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told reporters on the 14th that \u201cthe government will conduct a formal investigation into the HMM Namu strike and take necessary response measures based on the findings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to media reports that fragments recovered from the Namu weighed \u201ctens of kilograms,\u201d a senior Foreign Ministry official said, \u201cI\u2019ve seen the photos. You can\u2019t judge weight from an image. That information isn\u2019t confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked when the debris would be brought to South Korea, the official said, \u201cInvestigators examined the debris in Dubai and then transferred it to our embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We will bring it to Korea as soon as possible.\u201d The government has initiated consultations with the UAE and plans to hand the debris to a Defense Ministry specialist agency for analysis once it arrives in the country.<\/p>\n
On whether the investigation might fail to identify the attacker, Minister Cho said, \u201cIt\u2019s rare for a government to be able to precisely pinpoint an attacker and have the other side admit, \u2018We did it.\u2019\u201d He added, \u201cStill, if we scrutinize the results, we expect to have sufficient grounds to press the matter with the other party to some degree.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
U.S.-South Korea security talks are stalled due to issues like Coupang, raising concerns over agreement implementation challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0083\/thumb-0c689032-3976-400e-bdc7-74e30f4c80b3.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-262498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military"],"yoast_head":"\n