Amid continuing diplomatic and trade conflicts with Japan, South Korean officials have decided to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan, a bilateral agreement which arranges for sharing of military information.
Th deputy director of South Korea’s presidential national security office, Kim You-geun, announced the decision to reporters on Thursday.
Ending the pact diminishes the military capacity of both countries, although South Korea is more directly weakened, as it lies under direct and immediate threat from the North.
North Korea took the occasion of two new stealth fighters being delivered to the South to issue new threats. According to the Chosun Ilbo, NK has conducted live-bombing drills on replicas of South Korean aircraft. The paper has verified with local officials that NK has constructed a replica of a SK air base with full-sized airplane mock-ups as targets, indicating a significant increase in conventional weaponry development even as world attention is focused on their continuing nuclear-related missile tests.
North Korea is also exerting diplomatic pressure. Korean newspapers report that a spokesman for the North has threatened to remain out of nuclear talks:
“We remain unchanged in our position to resolve all issues in a peaceful manner through dialogue and negotiation. However, dialogue accompanied by military threats is of no interest to us,”
North Korean spokesman, via Korea Herald
The decision to pull free of intelligence sharing also comes as Japan’s intelligence services confirm that North Korea has successfully miniaturized nuclear weapon technology, enhancing the possibility of successfully delivering nuclear missiles.
The Japan Times reports that the country’s military leaders see North Korea’s actions as a “serious and imminent threat.”
