S.Korean intelligence chief arrives in US on unannounced visit

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea's intelligence chief arrived in Washington on an unannounced visit amid ongoing tension in the Korean Peninsula, local media said on Wednesday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Kim Kyou-hyun was spotted on Tuesday at Dulles International Airport as his staff members held large umbrellas apparently to conceal the movement of the country's top intelligence official, Yonhap News Agency reported.

But the NIS refused to confirm and comment on his visit to the US.

"Our principle is not to confirm where the intelligence agency chief is," an NIS official told the agency.

The tension on the peninsula escalated in 2020 when North Korea attacked and blew up the inter-Korean liaison office along the border. Seoul warned of a strong response if Pyongyang "further worsens the situation."

However, the tensions have further soared on the peninsula in 2021, when both Seoul and Pyongyang ramped up drills to show off their military might.

Last month, the US, South Korea, and Japan announced plans to bolster security ties and agreed to jointly counter threats from North Korea if Pyongyang carries out another nuclear test.

The US and South Korea extended several offers of dialogue to North Korea to ease current tensions in the Korean Peninsula but North Korea did not respond to the offers.

On May 27, China and Russia vetoed new UN Security Council sanctions that would have been imposed on North Korea in retaliation for its continued ballistic missile tests, which it conducts in violation of previous council resolutions.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid​​​​​​​