US bid for Seoul to keep intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo stalls
- Pentagon chief Mark Esper described the accord as ‘an important tool... particularly in times of war’
- He also called for South Korea as a ‘wealthy country’ to share the burden of cost for US troops deployed there
Esper met Moon at the presidential Blue House soon after a holding a high-level defence policy meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Jeong Kyeong-doo, where he called for Seoul to renew the accord, which expires on November 23, and pay more for US troops deployed in South Korea.
The Pentagon chief warned that South Korea’s decision to end the pact with Japan, called GSOMIA, would affect military readiness – presumably by slowing the ability of the US allies to directly share information about North Korean military activity.
“GSOMIA is an important tool by which Korea, the United States and Japan share effective and timely information, particularly in times of war,” Esper said.
“The only ones who benefit from expiration of GSOMIA and continued friction between Seoul and Tokyo are Pyongyang and Beijing.