Dennis Blair

The U.S. national intelligence director secretly visited Seoul early this week to discuss Korea's dispatch of troops to Afghanistan, it emerged on Thursday. Dennis Blair oversees 16 intelligence agencies including the CIA.

"Blair visited Seoul from Nov. 22 to 24 and met all key foreign affairs and security officials, such as Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon, and Cheong Wa Dae staff," a government source said. "He briefed them on a U.S. plan to send reinforcements to Afghanistan and the situation there, and that he also discussed how many Korean troops should be sent there and when."

Another source said Blair also shared information about the North Korean nuclear issue, but the main purpose of his visit was to talk about Afghanistan.

Foreign affairs and security-related Cabinet members met that day to discuss matters raised in the meetings with Blair and a report compiled recently by a government fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. The meeting talked about dispatching troops to Afghanistan and establishing a Provincial Reconstruction Team there.

Another government official said the meeting discussed sending some 300 troops as security guards, though the number "could increase a little depending on the security situation there."