I guess the Moon administration does not like hearing the truth:
This photo, taken on May 24, 2019, shows First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young speaking during his inauguration ceremony at the foreign ministry in Seoul. (Yonhap)
South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young on Wednesday asked the United States to refrain from public messaging against Seoul’s recent decision to terminate a military information-sharing pact with Japan, a source here said.
Cho met with U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris to make the request as Washington has repeatedly expressed disappointment and concerns in a rare public rebuke of Seoul’s decision to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
You can read more at the link, but remember that Ambassador Harris was the former INDOPACOM commander and the GSOMIA was a major accomplishment during that timeframe that INDOPACOM is a facilitator of.
The tensions between South Korea and Japan could end up having security impacts as well if the Blue House seeks to end the GSOMIA which authorizes the two countries to share intelligence information:
This photo, taken May 17, 2019, shows South Korea’s top presidential security advisor, Chung Eui-yong, speaking during a press conference at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap)
A rancorous diplomatic spat between South Korea and Japan is casting doubts over the fate of a military intelligence-sharing pact seen as a rare symbol of their trust and a key platform for trilateral security cooperation involving the United States.
The tussle that started from a simmering row over Japan’s wartime forced labor has been escalating into the economic domain with Tokyo’s July 4 measure to tighten restrictions on exports to South Korea of key industrial materials.
It is now feared to be spilling over into the security realm, apparently putting Washington on edge as the U.S. is keen on firming up cooperation with its two Asian allies to promote regional stability amid North Korea’s lingering threats and China’s growing assertiveness.
The General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between Seoul and Tokyo is automatically renewed every year unless either side expresses its intent to rescind it 90 days ahead of the end of its extendable one-year period.
You can read more at the link, but clearly the Moon administration is willing to bargain with the GSOMIA because they feel the current peace process with North Korea means intelligence from Japan is not needed.
