Complete Normalization of 'Korea-Japan GSOMIA'... All Public Notices from Moon Era Withdrawn

Government Finalizes Normalization with Written Notice to One Side
2019 Termination Notice and Suspension Deadline Withdrawn
"Eliminating Institutional Uncertainty... Foundation for Strengthened Cooperation"

The government has completed measures to fully normalize the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between South Korea and Japan.

On the morning of the 21st, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had notified Japan in writing through diplomatic channels of the decision to withdraw both diplomatic notes related to GSOMIA that were sent to Japan in 2019. This is a measure to fully normalize the status of GSOMIA, which had been operating under the existing "suspension of termination notice effect" but was legally unstable.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida [Image source=Yonhap News]

Japan imposed export controls on South Korea in 2019 as a de facto retaliation for the South Korean Supreme Court's forced labor ruling, and the Moon Jae-in administration responded by notifying Japan of the termination of GSOMIA, then suspending its effect again. Specifically, in August 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to the Japanese government notifying the termination of GSOMIA, and in November of the same year, sent another diplomatic note suspending the effect of the termination notice.

On this day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified Japan of the withdrawal of both diplomatic notes. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "Through this measure, our government has removed institutional uncertainties related to GSOMIA and laid the groundwork for strengthening military intelligence cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the United States."

This is also a follow-up measure to the South Korea-Japan summit held on the 16th. Just before the summit, the trade authorities of South Korea and Japan announced the lifting of export controls, and President Yoon Suk-yeol stated at the joint press conference held after the summit, "We declared the full normalization of GSOMIA at the recent summit."

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official reiterated, "As agreed upon by the two leaders during the South Korea-Japan summit, the government will further strengthen close security cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the United States to respond to the increasingly sophisticated nuclear and missile threats from North Korea."