S. Korea reviewing propriety of military intel-sharing pact with Japan: ministry

SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is reviewing whether it is right to continue exchanging military intelligence with Japan under a bilateral information-sharing pact, the defense ministry said Monday, amid speculation Seoul could rescind the agreement over a trade and diplomatic row with Tokyo. Officials in Seoul have hinted at the possibility of scrapping the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in response to a series of retaliatory measures Japan has taken over a row surrounding wartime forced labor. "The government is reviewing whether it is right to continue exchanging sensitive military information with a country that raises issues of the lack of trust with us and security-related problems," defense ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told a regular briefing. The defense ministry had said it sees no major problems with the pact's renewal. "Now, circumstances, including the relations with Japan, have changed, and we will review relevant factors in a comprehensive manner to make a decision that best serves our national interest," a ministry official noted. On Friday, Japan decided to remove South Korea from its so-called whitelist of countries given preferential treatment in importing Japanese dual-use products that can be diverted for military use. The retaliatory move came after its July 4 imposition of tighter restrictions on experts to Seoul of three key chemicals used for semiconductor and display production. The 2016 information-sharing agreement, aimed at coping better with threats from North Korea, has been automatically renewed each year in August. It will expire in November, however, if either party notifies the other of its intention to scrap it 90 days in advance. This year's notification deadline is Aug. 24. Asked about its plan for maritime drills on and around the country's eastern islets of Dokdo in the East Sea, the spokesperson said that the ministry is "reviewing details," including timing and scale, for this year's exercise, which is "a regular and self-defensive" one. The joint exercise, involving the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard, is held twice a year, usually in June and December, to better fend off possible foreign infiltrations to the rocky outcroppings and the surrounding waters. Sources have said the South Korean military had delayed the exercise while closely monitoring developments regarding the relations between the two nations, but it is now planning to stage it this month after Japan's expanded export curbs on South Korea last week. South Korea has maintained effective control on Dokdo since its liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, but Japan has persistently laid territorial claims to the islets. graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)