SEOUL: South Korea decided on Friday (Nov 22) against scrapping a critical military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, in a dramatic 11th-hour U-turn that will come as a relief to the United States.
The pact was due to expire at midnight amid a sharp deterioration in ties between the two democracies and market economies that has alarmed Washington as it seeks to curb the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea.
But after a flurry of last-ditch diplomacy, Seoul announced it would “conditionally” suspend the expiry of the agreement with just six hours left on the clock.
Kim You-geun, a national security official at Seoul’s presidential Blue House, confirmed the accord, known as GSOMIA, would not be allowed to lapse at midnight.
“The Japanese government has expressed their understanding,” he said.
However, he warned that the pact could still “be terminated at any time.”Advertisement
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said three-way co-ordination between Tokyo, Seoul and Washington was “extremely important,” adding that he believed South Korea had taken their decision from a “strategic point of view.”
But Defence Minister Taro Kono stressed that it was a temporary measure and urged Seoul to extend the pact “in a firm manner.”
Officials are now scrambling to arrange bilateral talks between Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Nagoya.
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/south-korea-salvages-military-intelligence-pact-japan-gsomia-12117810
Global News 
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