South Korea on 22nd Nov approved a deal to share intelligence on North Korea directly with Japan. The agreement will come into effect after it was signed in the South Korean Parliament.
Pact was known as
GSOMIA or
General Security of Military Information Agreement which was inked in Seoul, South Korea.
The pact will help the two nations to pool military intel on Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
Deal will take advantage of the two countries’ perceived strengths- Japanese are known for their hi-tech surveillance while South Korea excels in human intel.
Till date the countries shared their intelligence reports through the US.
The two were sharing intel on North Korea’s nuclear program through the US under a deal signed in 2014.
An earlier deal was sought to be signed in 2012 but there was domestic opposition in South Korea, as the country was targeted by the Japanese during wartimes.
South Korea-Japan relations- Japan ruled over South Korea from 1910 to 1945
- North Korea terms the latest intel pact between the two nations as Japanese re-invasion of Korean peninsula
- South Korea termed the deal necessary due to military threat posed by N.Korea.
