Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Tuesday criticized the People Power Party for filing a motion calling for his dismissal, saying its “pro-U.S. attitude has gone too far.”
Speaking to reporters after attending the launch of the third 2030 Youth Advisory Group and a minister-youth dialogue at Odusan Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Chung said, “Are you U.S. lawmakers? If you are members of Korea’s National Assembly, you should represent the people and defend national interests.”
The People Power Party filed the motion a day earlier, citing Chung’s remarks last month during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting that mentioned Kusong City.
Chung said he had also referred to Kusong City as the location of a uranium enrichment facility during last year’s confirmation hearing, but People Power Party members on the committee raised no objections at the time. He said they only began “making a fuss” after the United States took issue with his comments.
The United States has reportedly argued that Chung’s remarks disclosed classified information it shared and has moved to restrict the sharing of satellite intelligence on North Korea. Chung and the Unification Ministry have rejected the claim, saying the information about Kusong City’s uranium enrichment facility is publicly available, including in reports by overseas think tanks.
Chung criticized the opposition party’s move, saying it is in the national interest to press the United States to quickly lift what he called an unreasonable restriction on intelligence sharing about North Korea.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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