South Korea said it would withdraw from a pact with Japan to share classified military intelligence, weakening the U.S. alliance network in East Asia and exacerbating tensions that have flared between Seoul and Tokyo in recent weeks over trade and wartime history.
Since 2016, Japan and South Korea have had a direct channel of communication for sensitive military information such as details of North Korean missile launches and troop movements, as well as intelligence on other regional powers such as China and Russia.
The arrangement, advocated by the U.S. to bolster regional security, was scheduled soon to renew automatically for another year. But on Thursday, South Korea said it was scrapping the deal, saying Japan had arbitrarily accused Seoul of being a national security concern.
The decision stems from a
move by Japan in July to tighten export controls on three materials crucial for South Korean companies to produce semiconductors and displays, and a subsequent move to
revoke Seoul’s preferential-trading-partner status. Tokyo cited concerns that Seoul was not doing enough to ensure products from Japan couldn’t be shipped to third countries that represent a security risk.
South Korea condemned the decision and said it had put the military intelligence-sharing agreement in doubt because of the breakdown in trust between each side. The pullout comes despite requests from Washington and Tokyo to remain in the deal.
Japan’s government had no immediate reaction to the decision.
Thursday’s announcement comes after
weeks of bickering between Tokyo and Seoulofficials.