South Korea’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo (R) and Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Yasumasa Nagamine sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) at the defense ministry in Seoul. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea and Japan signed a pact on Wednesday to share military intelligence to better counter mounting nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Defense Minister Han Min-koo and Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Yasumasa Nagamine officially signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) at the defense ministry in Seoul.
The final signing comes less than a month after discussions resumed on Oct. 27, following a hiatus of four years. They tentatively signed the pact last week.
“The pact will allow South Korea to directly share information on Pyongyang obtained by Japan without having to go through the United States. It will help restrain Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development programs,” Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun told reporters.
Under the intelligence-sharing agreement, the two countries will share information regarding nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches by the North, and the communist regime’s military activities, the defense ministry said.
Japan’s satellite photos of North Korea, as well as its information on submarine-launched ballistic missiles will especially enhance the country’s defense capabilities, it said.
Japan’s information-gathering assets include five surveillance satellites, six Aegis destroyers, four radar systems with a detection range of over 1,000 kilometers, early warning aircraft, and 77 maritime patrol aircraft, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, the pact does not allow the two nations to pass information obtained from the other to any third party without permission. All military information sharing will be made under the principle of reciprocity,” the ministry spokesman said.
“The foreign ministry will send a written notice about the final signing to Japan today. If Japan responds with its own written notice, the agreement will go into effect immediately,” he said.
The Japanese ambassador said the pact will strengthen South Korea’s defense capabilities against the North’s evolving threats, he said.
On Tuesday, President Park Geun-hye approved the bilateral military information sharing pact after it was passed by the Cabinet.
But three opposition parties — the Democratic Party, the People’s Party and the Justice Party — lashed out at the deal, calling it “a rush job” that did not take into account the public’s opinion.
They said they will consider submitting a joint motion to dismiss the defense minister.
Opposition parties and progressive activists have opposed the deal, arguing Japan has not sincerely apologized for its wartime atrocities while moving to expand its military role overseas.
In December 2014, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan signed a preliminary deal that called for the voluntary sharing of military secrets on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. The deal allows Seoul and Tokyo to share such intelligence via the U.S. after their bilateral pact fell through in 2012.
Pyongyang’s repeated provocations have provided strong momentum for Seoul and Tokyo to resume discussions on the GSOMIA. The communist country conducted two underground nuclear tests this year alone, following detonations in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
Defying international condemnation, North Korea has also test-fired more than 20 ballistic missiles so far this year, including intermediate-range Musudan and submarine-launched missiles.
Currently, Seoul maintains pacts with 32 countries on sharing military information. It has recently asked China to start negotiations on such a pact, but China has not yet responded.
(Yonhap)
