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| Trump's top national security adviser John Bolton will be in Seoul Tuesday to discuss urgent bilateral issues. Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae, Kim Yoo-chul
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is expected to convey Washington's message that nullifying a military agreement between Seoul and Tokyo "isn't desirable" in terms of moving forward with the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, a presidential aide told The Korea Times, Sunday.
"During a planned meeting with presidential National Security Office (NSO) chief Chung Eui-yong, Bolton would pass on Washington's stance that terminating the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) is not desirable in light of the importance of the trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington in the peace process and nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea," the aide said. "Cheong Wa Dae will once again stress that U.S. intervention is quite necessary in resolving the Korea-Japan trade friction."
On Sunday afternoon, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Bolton will arrive in Seoul Tuesday for a two-day visit for talks with top Korean officials, including Chung, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo.
"Discussions on key bilateral issues will take place," presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said in a text sent to reporters.
Bolton's visit comes as Cheong Wa Dae is lashing out at Japan's trade restrictions which are feared to hurt Korean manufacturers of chips and displays, the nation's core export items.
Tension was escalated after the NSO chief hinted that the bilateral pact for sharing military information, GSOMIA, could be reconsidered during a meeting of President Moon Jae-in and leaders of major political parties last week. The U.S. has supported the GSOMIA as an important tool for the trilateral security cooperation and wants to avoid such a drastic move which could raise tension in the region.
The visit of U.S. President Donald Trump's top security adviser, who is also Chung's official U.S. counterpart, signals Washington has started to have concerns about the deepening feud between its two key regional allies and possible negative impact on the trilateral coordination for regional security.
After Chung's remarks on GSOMIA caused a stir in the local media, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed later that its position was to keep it.
The Seoul-Tokyo trade conflict erupted at the beginning of the month after Tokyo restricted exports on July 4 on some high-tech materials used by Korean manufacturers. But so far, the U.S. has not been forthcoming about responding to Korea's requests for its mediation.
Last week, however, Trump made his first mention of the dispute, saying he was willing to step in upon request from both leaders. He revealed that President Moon Jae-in had made a request for him to "get involved." Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday Confirmed that Moon had made the request during his June 30 meeting with Trump in Seoul in an attempt to resolve the issue diplomatically.
In addition to seeking U.S. mediation, the Moon administration is stepping up its international campaign to communicate its position that Tokyo's export restrictions, which are seen by Seoul as retaliation over a historical conflict, are unjustified and violate World Trade Organization (WTO) principles.
A WTO meeting in Geneva will discuss Japan's export controls at the request of the Korean government on July 23 and 24. Ambassadors and officials from both countries will engage in a fierce debate to persuade the international community of their respective positions. Tokyo has resisted Seoul's claims that the measures are in connection with a local ruling on a colonial conflict involving wartime forced labor, and has cited the need for tighter export controls due to Korea's alleged trade violations and diversion of some strategic materials to North Korea.
