ROK-U.S. MOU on diplomatic intelligence exchange and cooperation

1. Director-General Park Jang-ho, Bureau of Diplomatic Intelligence and US Assistant Secretary Brett Holmgren, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Bureau of Diplomatic Intelligence (BDI) and the United States Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) concerning Analytic Intelligence Cooperation on June 24, 2024 in Washington DC, the United States.

2. Since 70th anniversary of the ROK-US Alliance last year, top diplomatic authorities of both countries shared a common understanding that the Alliance should be expanded to encompass the domain of diplomatic intelligence, thereby advancing into an intelligence alliance. Toward this end, an intense working-level consultation to institutionalize exchanges and cooperation in the field of diplomatic intelligence have been undertaken since the early part of this year.

3. Through the signing of today’s MOU, ROK Foreign Ministry’s BDI will exchange diplomatic information analysis and techniques with US State Department’s INR on various regional and international issues of common concern as well as enhance the cooperation in research and analytic capacity building. Additionally, the MOU provides an institutional foundation for concrete and substantive collaborations, such as the co-authored analytic report.

4. This MOU is to serve as an important institutional framework for the work of the newly established Office of Strategy and Intelligence of the ROK Foreign Ministry which was as part of the reorganization of the Ministry carried out in May this year. It is also expected to significantly contribute to the establishment of a broader and more timely intelligence-sharing between the two allies.   /End/