South Korean government denies U.S. distrust of NIS

The South Korean government has officially denied reports claiming that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed distrust toward South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) during strategic investment negotiations.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated that the allegations regarding Lutnick conveying concerns about the NIS to Minister Kim Jung-kwan are “not true.” Similarly, the NIS clarified that it has received no such communication from other government agencies or departments. The agency emphasized that intelligence cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. remains active across various sectors, including North Korea, cybersecurity, technology leaks, and transnational crime.

The denial also addressed reports of a dispute between NIS Director Lee Jong-seok and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun during an August National Security Council meeting, which the NIS dismissed as unfounded. These denials come amid previous tensions, including reports that the NIS was excluded from a trilateral working group meeting on North Korean cyber threats in June at the request of the United States.