U.S. National Intelligence director makes top-secret visit to S.Korea

Posted on : 2011-05-30 14:00 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Clapper’s visit followed Kim Jong-il’s visit to China and S.Korea-China summit in Japan

By Ahn Chang-hyun, Staff Writer 

  

U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, 70, came to South Korea for a top-secret visit this past weekend, it was reported Sunday.

According to an intelligence source, Clapper came to South Korea during the weekend and met with a full list of senior foreign affairs and national security officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin, and National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon. Clapper is also scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to President Lee Myung-bak at the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) on Monday, the source reported.

As Director of National Intelligence, Clapper oversees the U.S. Intelligence Community, a federation of sixteen intelligence organizations affiliated with the federal government, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

As Clapper’s visit took place just after a China visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, discussions between senior South Korean and U.S. authorities reportedly included trends in relations between Pyongyang and Beijing and future developments with the political situation on the Korean Peninsula.

  

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