Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
Diplomatic row over GSOMIA dissipates
Korea and Japan have been at odds over whether to terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). Korea made it known that it was considered terminating it in retaliation to Japan's trade controls, but ultimately did not give notice of a cancellation to Japan, in effect renewing the agreement for the coming year. / gettyimagesbank
By Kang Seung-woo
By Kang Seung-woo
Korea and Japan appear to have calmed tensions over whether to keep their intelligence-sharing pact intact as the date for its cancellation passed without any action from either country.
This is a complete about-face from last year when the neighboring countries engaged in a harsh diplomatic spat over the issue, initiated by Tokyo's tightened controls on exports to Seoul. At that time Korea suspended its withdrawal following a U.S. request to maintain the pact, or the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
Opinions are rampant that this time it would not have been easy for the government to have again raised the issue of canceling the GSOMIA as it is facing tough internal and external political and diplomatic situations.
Korea believes it can end the GSOMIA at any time because the Moon Jae-in administration has simply suspended its decision to end the pact. But the Japanese government said Monday that it would strengthen cooperation and collaboration in the field of security with Korea to contribute to regional stability. This is in line with the GSOMIA which states that without notice of annulment 90 days in advance from one country to the other, it is automatically renewed every year. The agreement was signed on Nov. 23, 2016.
“Considering the current security environment in the region, it remains important for the agreement to continue to operate stably,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a press briefing.
The foreign ministry here only reiterated its earlier stance. “The Korean government suspended the GSOMIA termination notice on the premise that we can terminate the GSOMIA at any time, and upon the understanding between the two nations, we can revive the termination process and end the pact at any time,” a ministry official said.
The government's reluctance to raise the issue may mainly be due to a possible backlash from the United States, which is in an ongoing diplomatic row with China. Washington wants to present a united front with Korea and Japan against China, using the GSOMIA, but under the circumstance, Korea terminating the agreement could bring about a stronger reaction from Washington than last year.
In addition, with the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November, the government here does not want to give the U.S. another diplomatic headache.
Domestically, the Moon administration cannot afford the time to deal with the GSOMIA issue amid the recent resurgence of coronavirus here, as it has been forced to focus on bending the curve of COVID-19 infections. This is the same situation facing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose approval rating has fallen to 36 percent in the most recent poll there, and the second-lowest since his return to power in 2012, due to his slow handling of the virus pandemic, according to Japan's Kyodo News.
“If Korea once again raises the issue of canceling the GSOMIA, its relations with the U.S. may be strained given the U.S. values the GSOMIA. In addition, ahead of the presidential election, the frayed ties between Korea and Japan may place Trump in the hot seat (in terms of his foreign policy), so the Korean government may have considered such factors,” said Kim Yeoul-soo, chief of the Security Strategy Office at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs.
He also said given that the Abe administration is taking advantage of the GSOMIA issue for political ends ― as does the Korean government ― The Japanese prime minister is refraining from raising the matter as it will not help him extend his time in office.