South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has dismissed claims that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) lodged a protest over the unification minister’s public disclosure of a purported North Korean nuclear site.

“There was no such protest from the USFK commander to the defense minister,” Ahn said during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.

Ahn’s remarks refer to Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s statement during a March 6 parliamentary session, in which he referenced the existence of a third North Korean uranium enrichment facility.

During a briefingon Tuesday, lawmaker Sung Il-jong of the opposition People Power Party (PPP) called for Chung’s resignation after