GSOMIA Korea maintains agreement and requests Japan to respond to export control measures, etc.
The Japan-Korea Military Information Comprehensive Protection Agreement = GSOMIA has a deadline for notification on the 24th, but the Korean government claims that it can be terminated at any time and that it is not bound by the deadline. It seems that the Korean side will seek the Japanese side's response to measures such as tightening export control while maintaining the agreement for the time being.
In August last year, the Korean government announced to Japan that it would destroy Japan-Korea's military information comprehensive protection agreement, GSOMIA, as a countermeasure against Japan's measures to tighten export controls. In November, it announced that it would suspend notifications for the progress of discussions with Japan.
The agreement is to be automatically extended every year unless either government notifies the termination, with a 24-day deadline for termination.
However, the Korean side has not shown any concrete movements, and the innovative "Hangyore Newspaper" reports that "the agreement seems to be maintained for the time being."
The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last week that it sought to terminate the agreement at any time, saying that "we stopped the notification of destruction on the assumption that it can be terminated at any time without a special deadline." "We continue to call on Japan to restore export control measures as soon as possible, and we are patiently maintaining the state in which the notification of the termination of the agreement was suspended."
It seems that South Korea will seek the Japanese side's response regarding export control while showing the attitude that the agreement can be terminated at any time.
On the other hand, there is a view that it is not easy for the South Korean side to actually abandon the agreement because the United States strongly demanded that the agreement be maintained.
Chief Cabinet Secretary "Pursuit of appropriate response"
At the press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kan said, "GSOMIA will strengthen cooperation and cooperation in the security fields of Japan and South Korea and contribute to regional peace and stability. Given the current regional security environment, the agreement will continue. There is no change to the idea that stable operation is important."
In addition, "Japan-Korea relations are still in a difficult situation, but Japan would like to continue to urge the South Korean side to take appropriate measures based on its consistent position on various issues."