By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee 

Park Jang-ho, Director-General for Diplomatic Intelligence, and Brett Holmgren, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for 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” in Washington, D.C., the United States on June 24, 2024.

The diplomatic authorities of the ROK and the U.S. have shared a common understanding that the ROK-U.S. Alliance should be further strengthened to include intelligence alliance on the occasion of its 70th anniversary last year. 

Accordingly, practical consultations necessary to institutionalize exchanges and cooperation in the field of diplomatic intelligence have been closely conducted since the beginning of this year.

Through this signing of the MOU, the ROK BDI will exchange diplomatic information analyses and techniques with the INR on various regional and international issues of common concern and enhance the cooperation in capacity building. 

Additionally, the MOU provides an institutional foundation for concrete and practical work collaboration, such as co-authored research reports.

This MOU is to serve as an important institutional framework for the work of the Office of Strategy and Intelligence of the ROK Foreign Ministry which was newly established as part of the restructuring of the Ministry carried out in May this year.

It is also expected to significantly contribute to the establishment of a broader and more rapid intelligence-sharing system between the ROK and the U.S.