By Chung Min-uck
Defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting in Singapore next week, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Monday.
The ministry said Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who will leave for Singapore on May 30 to attend the Asia Security Summit, plans to hold trilateral talks with his U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, May 31, on the sidelines of the annual defense summit.
The three countries have held defense meetings annually since 2009 to jointly cope with regional challenges, mainly North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Asked about the specific agenda for the trilateral defense meeting, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said during a regular briefing, "The agenda for the talks has been under discussion and will be settled by early next week."
Meanwhile, experts say things could get tricky for Seoul in this year's meeting depending on this agenda.
Washington and Tokyo are currently urging South Korea to sign a military information-sharing pact with Japan, insisting the deal would greatly help Seoul boost their trilateral security posture in handling North Korea's provocation.
The U.S. has already concluded similar information-sharing agreements with its two Asian allies and considers the Seoul-Tokyo agreement, which is not yet signed, to be the missing link in realizing its security interests of checking North Korea-driven threats and containing China's growing influence in the region by upgrading trilateral defense cooperation.
Japan also wants an information-sharing agreement forged with South Korea for a similar purpose.
But signing of the pact with Japan is a sensitive issue for Seoul given conflicts with the neighboring country over history and territorial rows.
The defense ministry said earlier that Seoul "basically supports intelligence sharing on North Korea's nuclear test and missile launches with Japan" but a review of South Korea's overall security strategy is needed before concluding the deal.
Seoul and Tokyo had come close to a military intelligence sharing pact in 2012, but the move fell through due to a strong domestic backlash.
South Koreans still harbor lingering resentment against its former colonial ruler. Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945.
The issue came into the spotlight again after U.S. President Obama, during his recent Asia trip, encouraged South Korea and Japan to put forth concerted security efforts toward overcoming historical disputes.
Defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting in Singapore next week, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Monday.
The ministry said Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who will leave for Singapore on May 30 to attend the Asia Security Summit, plans to hold trilateral talks with his U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, May 31, on the sidelines of the annual defense summit.
The three countries have held defense meetings annually since 2009 to jointly cope with regional challenges, mainly North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Asked about the specific agenda for the trilateral defense meeting, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said during a regular briefing, "The agenda for the talks has been under discussion and will be settled by early next week."
Meanwhile, experts say things could get tricky for Seoul in this year's meeting depending on this agenda.
Washington and Tokyo are currently urging South Korea to sign a military information-sharing pact with Japan, insisting the deal would greatly help Seoul boost their trilateral security posture in handling North Korea's provocation.
The U.S. has already concluded similar information-sharing agreements with its two Asian allies and considers the Seoul-Tokyo agreement, which is not yet signed, to be the missing link in realizing its security interests of checking North Korea-driven threats and containing China's growing influence in the region by upgrading trilateral defense cooperation.
Japan also wants an information-sharing agreement forged with South Korea for a similar purpose.
But signing of the pact with Japan is a sensitive issue for Seoul given conflicts with the neighboring country over history and territorial rows.
The defense ministry said earlier that Seoul "basically supports intelligence sharing on North Korea's nuclear test and missile launches with Japan" but a review of South Korea's overall security strategy is needed before concluding the deal.
Seoul and Tokyo had come close to a military intelligence sharing pact in 2012, but the move fell through due to a strong domestic backlash.
South Koreans still harbor lingering resentment against its former colonial ruler. Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945.
The issue came into the spotlight again after U.S. President Obama, during his recent Asia trip, encouraged South Korea and Japan to put forth concerted security efforts toward overcoming historical disputes.
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