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National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Suh Hoon at a meeting with the Intelligence Committee at the National Assembly on Mar. 5. (photo pool)

National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Suh Hoon spoke on Mar. 5 in connection with the suggestion of additional North Korean nuclear facilities during the recent second North Korea-US summit.

“South Korea and US military intelligence authorities have a detailed grasp of North Korea’s uranium enrichment facilities and other nuclear- and missile-related facilities and are operating a close tracking and monitoring system,” Suh said. At the same time, he did not specifically disclose the location of any additional nuclear facilities.

The remarks were delivered during a talk that day with members of the Intelligence Committee at the National Assembly, according to an explanation during a briefing by the committee’s Democratic Party Secretary Kim Min-ki and Liberty Korea Party Secretary Lee Eun-jae. Suh was present at the talk along with the NIS’ first, second, and third vice directors.

Committee Chair Lee Hye-hoon explained that the NIS had asked for understanding on its inability to discuss additional North Korean nuclear facilities besides Yongbyon.

“We have the same grasp as the US and our intelligence agrees, but we can’t discuss where they are in this setting,” she quoted NIS representatives as saying.

The NIS explained that the “Pungang” area reported in the press as being the site of additional North Korean nuclear facilities was an “administrative region” that includes the Yongbyon facilities.

“The NIS explained that Pungang is not something separate, but that the Yongbyon nuclear facilities are located in Pungang,” said Lee Eun-jae.

The NIS also reported that no unusual activities had been detected at the North’s nuclear facilities.

“Operation of the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon has been suspended since late last year, and there are no signs of reprocessing facilities being currently operated,” the NIS said.

“In the case of the nuclear test site at Punggye Village, the tunnels have been untouched since their dismantlement [via demolition] in May of last year,” it added.

At the same, the NIS did reportedly say that “partial restoration” was taking place on some of the previously demolished facilities at the Tongchang Village missile test site, which is known to be a potential ICBM launch location.

Regarding the failure of North Korea and the US to reach an agreement at their recent second summit, the NIS said, “Our understanding is that North Korea expressed disappointment with the agreement’s failure despite considerable hopes going into the summit.”

According to Kim Min-ki, the NIS reported that the US had “focused its efforts on a comprehensive agreement on the denuclearization process” while North Korea “was focused on step-by-step, sequential implementation,” and that the two sides “failed to reach agreement due to differences on the issue of the resulting sanctions relief.”

On the matter of a reciprocal Seoul visit by Kim Jong-un, Kim Min-ki quoted the NIS as saying it “could take some additional time” to occur, as North Korean leader was “expected to conduct a general assessment of the summit and examine future strategy following his return to Pyongyang on Mar. 5.”

By Kim Tae-gyu and Lee Kyung-mi, staff reporters

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