Nov 16 (Japan Times) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in told visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday it is difficult for Seoul to share military intelligence with Japan, while vowing to make continued efforts toward security cooperation among the three countries, according to the presidential Blue House.
At their annual Security Consultative Meeting, Moon explained his government’s decision in August to not renew the military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, Blue House spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said.
The General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, expires at midnight on Nov. 22.
“President Moon explained our stance regarding GSOMIA that it is difficult to exchange military information with Japan, which has imposed export curbs on South Korea for security reasons,†Ko said.
Esper, in response, said he would ask Japan to make efforts to settle the issue in an amicable way, she said.
At a news conference earlier in the day with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, Esper called on Seoul to renew the deal, saying its termination would only benefit North Korea and China.
The two defense chiefs signaled they were in agreement that the pact is important from a national security standpoint.
