SEOUL -- The unification ministry has explained to the United States that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young identified North Korea's Kusong region as the third location housing a uranium enrichment facility based on publicly available information, officials said Friday.
In a rare revelation of information about North Korea, Chung said in a parliamentary session in March that North Korea is running another uranium enrichment facility in the northwestern region of Kusong, along with previously reported ones in Yongbyon and Kangson.
The local newspaper DongA Ilbo reported the U.S. has strongly protested to South Korea over Chung's remarks, citing the revelation of sensitive information about the North. It said Washington has delivered its intent to limit sharing information with Seoul over North Korea.
The unification ministry said Chung pointed to Kusong as the North's third location housing a nuclear facility based on publicly available information.
"We've adequately explained to the U.S. the background of the minister's remarks. We understand that the U.S. is also aware of it," Chang Yoon-jeong, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.
"We also understand that we've not received any information about Kusong from other institutions," she stressed.
In regard to the news report on Washington's protest, the deputy spokesperson said that the ministry explained the background of Chung's remarks to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul at the request of the embassy.
"We are not aware of the U.S. side's protest," Chang said, adding that the ministry also does not know about whether there are restrictions of information sharing between South Korea and the U.S.
