Japan Says US Does Not Trust Korea

Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister during a visit to Korea said that Japan is hesistant to share intelligence with Korea because the US does not trust Korea:

The official scoffed at reported remarks by Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi to the effect that Tokyo is unable to share intelligence with Seoul because Washington “can’t trust South Korea.” “It’s below my dignity as a Korean official to ask the Japanese why they said something like that,” he commented. He also dismissed reports in the Japanese press that Seoul’s unceremonious scrapping of a Korean-U.S. military plan for contingencies in North Korea, dubbed OPLAN 5029, would be a key topic when President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush meet next month. The matter had not made its way on the summit agenda, he said.

It is pretty odd for a Japanese official to say something like that so publicly. It may be an interesting summit for President Roh coming up.