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S. Korea to press ahead with military pact with Japan
By KH디지털뉴스부공용Published : July 2, 2012 - 09:50
South Korea will press ahead with the signing of a landmark military pact with Japan after briefing the National Assembly about it, a senior official said Monday, dismissing speculation the sensitive accord could be scrapped altogether due to mounting public criticism.
On Friday, the government put the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) on hold at the last minute – just an hour before the planned signing -- as criticism rose sharply following revelations the Cabinet covertly passed the delicate pact with the former colonial ruler.
The deferment has since raised speculation the deal could be discarded altogether.
"We plan to enter into the signing procedure after completing a report to the National Assembly," a senior official at the presidential office said. "This is a pact that we postponed at the risk of a diplomatic gaffe and it is difficult to pull out of it."
The agreement lays out procedural frameworks on military information exchanges between the two neighboring nations. The pact is seen as mainly aimed at facilitating intelligence sharing on North Korea, a perennial security concern in the region.
If signed, it will mark South Korea's first-ever military pact with Japan, which ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colony from 1910-45. Reaction to the agreement among the South Korean public has been negative due in large part to perceptions Tokyo has not fully repented for its colonial-era wrongdoing.
Further fueling criticism were revelations that the Cabinet approved the pact in a recent meeting and kept it under wraps.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik apologized for what he called "procedural problems," though he claimed it was in accordance with diplomatic protocol not to make the passage public.
Opposition parties, media and other critics have since raised fundamental questions of whether South Korea really needs such an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan when Seoul is believed to have more information on North Korea than any other nation in the world.
Critics say Seoul would end up gaining little from the pact.
Further raising the eyebrows of the public was the unseemly sight of the foreign ministry and the presidential office trying to pass the buck to each other.
The foreign ministry claims it was the presidential office that instructed the Cabinet to approve the agreement without public announcement, while the top office contends it was the ministry that was in charge of the issue. Still, it is widely believed presidential security advisor Kim Tae-hyo orchestrated the pact's passage.
Despite such criticism, the government plans to push ahead with the signing.
"This is not an issue that requires approval from the National Assembly," the senior presidential official said. "Therefore, it is the government's position to push for its signing after explaining (the agreement) to the National Assembly." (Yonhap News)
On Friday, the government put the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) on hold at the last minute – just an hour before the planned signing -- as criticism rose sharply following revelations the Cabinet covertly passed the delicate pact with the former colonial ruler.
The deferment has since raised speculation the deal could be discarded altogether.
"We plan to enter into the signing procedure after completing a report to the National Assembly," a senior official at the presidential office said. "This is a pact that we postponed at the risk of a diplomatic gaffe and it is difficult to pull out of it."
The agreement lays out procedural frameworks on military information exchanges between the two neighboring nations. The pact is seen as mainly aimed at facilitating intelligence sharing on North Korea, a perennial security concern in the region.
If signed, it will mark South Korea's first-ever military pact with Japan, which ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colony from 1910-45. Reaction to the agreement among the South Korean public has been negative due in large part to perceptions Tokyo has not fully repented for its colonial-era wrongdoing.
Further fueling criticism were revelations that the Cabinet approved the pact in a recent meeting and kept it under wraps.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik apologized for what he called "procedural problems," though he claimed it was in accordance with diplomatic protocol not to make the passage public.
Opposition parties, media and other critics have since raised fundamental questions of whether South Korea really needs such an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan when Seoul is believed to have more information on North Korea than any other nation in the world.
Critics say Seoul would end up gaining little from the pact.
Further raising the eyebrows of the public was the unseemly sight of the foreign ministry and the presidential office trying to pass the buck to each other.
The foreign ministry claims it was the presidential office that instructed the Cabinet to approve the agreement without public announcement, while the top office contends it was the ministry that was in charge of the issue. Still, it is widely believed presidential security advisor Kim Tae-hyo orchestrated the pact's passage.
Despite such criticism, the government plans to push ahead with the signing.
"This is not an issue that requires approval from the National Assembly," the senior presidential official said. "Therefore, it is the government's position to push for its signing after explaining (the agreement) to the National Assembly." (Yonhap News)
