Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed below represent the opinions of the article’s author. The following work does not necessarily represent the views of the Synergy: Journal of Contemporary Asian Studies.
South Korea announced on August 22, 2019 that it would not renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan. The announcement has thrown Japan and the United States into a state of confusion, especially for the former as Japan and South Korea are also in a trade dispute. The agreement, which was signed between former president Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on November 23, 2016, was an initiative planned under former president Barack Obama in its pivot to Asia. This was an effort to orient US foreign policy initiatives due to concerns of a rising China.[1] The GSOMIA allows Seoul and Tokyo to immediately share sensitive intelligence related to North Korea as part of the US-Japan-South Korea alliance without having the US directly involved, especially in cases when time matters to resolve a national security incident.[2] According to Randall Schriver, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, the expiration of GSOMIA, set at November 22, 2019, is undesirable since it would hamper “the ability to share information and intelligence among the three parties becomes more cumbersome and unwieldy… [it] adds risk and is suboptimal.”[3] The US is not alone in criticizing Seoul for not renewing GSOMIA. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has criticized the decision, pointing out South Korea’s lack of grasping the regional security situation.[4] This essay will argue against GSOMIA’s expiration because it can result in complications in the bureaucracy of the trilateral alliance in handling national security incidents and allow North Korea, China and Russia to take advantage of security lapses in East Asia.
While it seems that the end of GSOMIA is a main concern in the region, there is another agreement that is enforced by the three countries to monitor East Asian national security. Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are signatories under the Trilateral Information Sharing Arrangement (TISA), which was signed in 2014.[5] This requires the presence of the US as an intermediary when intelligence is being shared.[6] The agreement is not ideal to use by itself when a crisis taking place in East Asia due to its limited scope in monitoring North Korea for any signs regarding its nuclear or ballistic missile programs.[7] GSOMIA, in itself, has the systems and protocols required for Japan and South Korea to make immediate contact when an incident is taking place that requires decisions to be made immediately.[8] It was seen as a step forward for them to improve bilateral relations.[9] The implementation of GSOMIA in 2016 was a necessary policy for South Korea. South Korean satellite intelligence currently have access to areas south of the demarcation line while Japan has satellite intelligence dedicated to monitor North Korea in areas north of the demarcation line.[10] Policymakers who study and implement national security policies see the need to have GSOMIA to ensure the region’s stability. The presence and implementation of GSOMIA alongside TISA is advantageous to South Korea in covering any substantial gaps they have on collecting and analyzing North Korean-based intelligence.
A change of the status quo has led to growing concerns that the end of GSOMIA will allow North Korea, China and Russia to take advantage of security lapses. The joint patrols conducted by Chinese and Russian aircraft on July 23, 2019 near Dokdo/Takeshima served as a warning that they can easily challenge the alliance at any time.[11] The two countries see Seoul in the alliance as a weak link and are more than willing to test its limitations.[12] The escalation of North Korea’s missile tests serves as another challenge since two short-range missiles were fired after the announcement was made regarding GSOMIA.[13] While North Korea has conducted missile tests in the past before GSOMIA was implemented by Japan and South Korea, the recent missile tests after Seoul’s announcement is a sign of North Korea’s views of hostility regarding any alliance made against it. In a talk hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on August 28, 2019, Assistant Secretary Schriver emphasized the importance of stronger bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo. Despite their trade disputes, they share the same interests in promoting human rights, economic development and anti-terrorism initiatives.[14] He also mentioned that North Korea, China and Russia are the common security threats faced by the two countries.[15]
The announcement of ending GSOMIA is harmful to South Korea’s national security instead of being beneficial, given that their number one security threat throughout its history has been North Korea. Shim Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, explained that the US can put more pressure on South Korea to contribute more in their bilateral relations by paying more defense costs and supporting American-led security initiatives.[16] Daniel Pinkston and Go Myong-hun mentioned that the end of the agreement will force South Korea to rely on the US even more because its bilateral ties with North Korea and Japan are not going anywhere.[17] In response to growing criticism, South Korean officials have responded that they can work with the US and other concerned countries through similar intelligence sharing agreements. They can also discuss the issue of abandoning GSOMIA, which are mainly due to their respective issues with Japan being different from the US-South Korean military alliance.
South Korea’s reluctance to immediately renew GSOMIA is not a feasible way to resolve their differences with Japan. Instead, this creates national security problems where the country may not be able to tackle by itself without Japanese and American assistance. The presence of GSOMIA is needed to successfully tackle issues regarding intelligence operations in relation to North Korea’s missile capabilities. North Korea, China and Russia benefit from seeing the trilateral security cooperation break down and challenge the alliance. Without an agreement that can ensure strong cooperation between the US, Japan and South Korea, the US can put pressure on South Korea to put more effort into defense towards North Korea. As discussed in this essay, solving the crisis would take time and requires Japan and South Korea to meet and find a way to restart bilateral relations. The US can play a role by setting up an environment which is needed in order to start negotiation talks. Japan and South Korea need to participate in constructive dialogue that can address their grievances and reaffirm the importance of their security cooperation. They should not let historical issues get in the way of bilateral cooperation, especially when regional security is at stake.
Mark Soo is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University (BA’ 18 – Political Science) with research interests in Japanese, East Asian and Southeast Asian politics, including defense and foreign relations. He is currently a volunteer with the Filipino NGO Gawad Kalinga.
Bibliography:
Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The Importance of U.S.-Japan-Korea Trilateral Defense Cooperation.” Center for Strategic and International Studies. August 28, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://www.csis.org/analysis/importance-us-japan-korea-trilateral-defense-cooperation.
Dominguez, Gabriel. “Seoul’s decision to not renew GSOMIA complicates trilateral security co-operation, says Pentagon official.” Jane’s 360. August 29, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://www.janes.com/article/90727/seoul-s-decision-not-to-renew-gsomia-complicates-trilateral-security-co-operation-says-pentagon-official.
Hotham, Oliver. “What South Korea’s termination of the GSOMIA means for North Korean policy.” NK News. August 23, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://www.nknews.org/2019/08/what-south-koreas-termination-of-the-gsomia-means-for-north-korea-policy/.
Kuhn, Anthony. “U.S. criticizes South Korea after Seoul scraps intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo.” National Public Radio. August 30, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/08/30/755733522/u-s-criticizes-south-korea-after-seoul-scraps-intelligence-sharing-pact-with-tok.
Maxwell, David and Mathew Ha. “South Korea is playing into the hands of North Korea and its allies.” Defense News. August 27, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/08/27/south-korea-is-playing-into-the-hands-of-north-korea-and-its-allies/.
Park, Jaehan and Sangyoung Yun. “Korea and Japan’s Military Information Agreement: A Final Touch for the Pivot?” The Diplomat. November 24, 2016. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/korea-and-japans-military-information-agreement-a-final-touch-for-the-pivot/.
Shin, Hyonhee and Tim Kelly. “’Blind Men’: End of South Korea-Japan Pact undermines bid to understand North Korea threats.” The New York Times. August 23, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-japan-labourers-intelligen/blind-men-end-of-south-korea-japan-pact-undermines-bid-to-understand-north-korea-threats-idUSKCN1VD19L.
Stangarone, Troy. “Korea’s dispute with Japan spills into national security.” The Diplomat. August 27, 2019. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/koreas-dispute-with-japan-spills-into-national-security/.
[1] Jaehan Park and Sangyoung Yun, “Korea and Japan’s Military Information Agreement: A Final Touch for the Pivot?”, The Diplomat, November 24, 2016
[2] Anthony Kuhn, “U.S. criticizes South Korea after Seoul scraps intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo,” National Public Radio, August 30, 2019
[3] Gabriel Dominguez, “Seoul’s decision to not renew GSOMIA complicates trilateral security co-operation, says Pentagon official”, Jane’s 360, August 29, 2019
[4] Troy Stangarone, “Korea’s dispute with Japan spills into national security,” The Diplomat, August 27, 2019,
[5] Hyonhee Shin and Tim Kelly, “’Blind Men’: End of South Korea-Japan Pact undermines bid to understand North Korea threats,” Reuters, August 23, 2019
[6] Stangarone, “Korea’s dispute with Japan spills into national security,” The Diplomat
[7] Shin and Kelly, “’Blind Men’: End of South Korea-Japan Pact undermines bid to understand North Korea threats,” Reuters
[8] Oliver Hotham, “What South Korea’s termination of the GSOMIA means for North Korean policy”, NK News, August 23, 2019
[9] Hotham, “What South Korea’s termination of the GSOMIA means for North Korean policy”, NK News
[10] David Maxwell and Mathew Ha, “South Korea is playing into the hands of North Korea and its allies,” Defense News, August 27, 2019
[11] Kuhn, “U.S. criticizes South Korea after Seoul scraps intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo,” National Public Radio
[12] Hotham, “What South Korea’s termination of the GSOMIA means for North Korean policy”, NK News
[13] Maxwell and Ha, “South Korea is playing into the hands of North Korea and its allies,” Defense News
[14] Center for Strategic and International Studies, “The Importance of U.S.-Japan-Korea Trilateral Defense Cooperation,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, August 28, 2019
[15] Ibid.
[16] Shin and Kelly, “’Blind Men’: End of South Korea-Japan Pact undermines bid to understand North Korea threats,” Reuters
[17] Hotham, “What South Korea’s termination of the GSOMIA means for North Korean policy”, NK News
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