Industry Ministry denies report of Lutnick's dissatisfaction with NIS

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources on Friday formally dismissed a local news report alleging that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick voiced dissatisfaction with South Korea’s spy agency during bilateral negotiations on strategic investment projects.

The Industry Ministry issued the denial in response to a local newspaper article claiming Lutnick had conveyed Washington’s discontent with Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

“We clearly state that the claim that U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick expressed distrust of the NIS to Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan during negotiations on strategic investment projects in the United States is not true,” the ministry said.

The ministry called on the newspaper to report accurately to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and confusion.

The NIS issued a similar notice to the press, saying that it had received no information regarding Lutnick’s alleged remark.

The United States has partially restricted South Korea’s access to intelligence on North Korea-related technology since April in protest against the unification minister’s disclosure of information on one of the North’s nuclear facilities.

Yonhap