Overview

• Lee Jong-seok committed to building “unwavering” peace on the Korean Peninsula by combining strong defense capabilities with sustained dialogue.
• He affirmed that the Seoul-Washington alliance remains South Korea’s fundamental security cornerstone and promised to back government policy with robust NIS intelligence.
• Lawmakers questioned him about his association with former Gyeonggi deputy governor Lee Hwa-young, who is serving a 9½-year sentence for illicit cash transfers to North Korea.
• In a written response, Lee said his link to the convicted deputy was strictly professional and asserted he had no prior knowledge of the money-transfer scheme.
• Asked about past opposition to THAAD and GSOMIA, Lee said those agreements are already settled and must be honored as part of practical diplomacy.