Interest in Whether to Reinitiate the Military Information Protection Agreement (GSOMIA)
[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As the South Korean Navy has decided to participate in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force-hosted fleet review next month for the first time in seven years, attention is focused on whether the Korea-Japan military information protection agreement (GSOMIA), a core of Korea-Japan security cooperation, will be re-pursued.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 28th, South Korean Navy crew members will participate in the fleet review held on the 6th of next month in Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and in accordance with international customs, they must salute the Japanese flagship flying the Rising Sun Flag. A total of 13 countries, including South Korea, will participate in this fleet review, and the ships will proceed to a multinational humanitarian coalition exercise for search and rescue (SAREX) following the fleet review.
Despite the move being different from public sentiment, the decision to participate in the fleet review is interpreted as a sign of strengthening Korea-Japan security cooperation amid ongoing provocations from North Korea. Accordingly, there is speculation that the normalization of the Korea-Japan military information protection agreement (GSOMIA) will be expedited.
The Korea-Japan military information protection agreement was signed on November 23, 2016. All information except for top-secret information of both countries is subject to exchange. However, due to the de facto collapse of the 'comfort women agreement' under the Moon Jae-in administration in 2019 and Japan's export restrictions, the agreement nearly faced termination but has been maintained only nominally through a 'conditional suspension' mediated by the United States.
Within the military, there is a position that GSOMIA is necessary for North Korean surveillance. GSOMIA has a faster transmission speed compared to the Korea-US-Japan information sharing agreement. Moreover, Japan's satellites, ground surveillance radars, early warning aircraft, and Aegis ships are superior to South Korean military equipment. Immediate sharing of this information through GSOMIA helps prepare for North Korean provocations.
A military official said, "From a military perspective, information exchange with Japan is necessary to respond to North Korean provocations," adding, "GSOMIA is a diplomatic issue between Korea and Japan that needs to be resolved, such as the comfort women issue."
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