Inapt GSOMIA remarks

It’s good for Seoul to maintain strategic flexibility

David Stilwell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, has indicated that he will ask South Korea to reconsider its decision in August to terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), a military intelligence-sharing pact it signed with Japan in 2016.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Saturday, Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the pact was beneficial to the U.S. and its two Asian allies as well. According to Japanese media, he made it clear that Washington did not intend to mediate in the friction between Seoul and Tokyo, but did want Seoul to reverse its decision to end the GSOMIA.

The deal is scheduled to expire on Nov. 23 following Seoul’s decision not to renew it in August. This came after Japan unilaterally restricted exports of key industrial materials to South Korea, citing potential security risks the exports posed to Japan. The Japanese measure was in apparent retaliation against the South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling in October last year that ordered Japanese firms to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

Tokyo was Stilwell’s first stop on his Asian trip. He will also visit Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and China. He plans to visit Seoul on Nov. 5 for talks with security officials and senior diplomats, which may be centered on the planned expiration of the GSOMIA and North Korea.

It is understandable for the U.S. to want to preserve the GSOMIA, given the significance of the pact for its trilateral alliance with Japan and South Korea. U.S. officials did not conceal their disappointment when the Moon Jae-in administration decided to terminate the pact. Purportedly, the pact is to boost security cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo to counter threats from North Korea jointly.

However, it is rather being understood to be part of a broader U.S. security strategy aimed at China.

Stilwell’s remarks in Tokyo, if the Japanese reports are true, give mixed feelings to South Koreans. It is quite disappointing to see him apparently side with Japan in the ongoing dispute with South Korea. He looked rather indifferent to what caused Seoul to decide to terminate the deal. In a way, he seemed to be telling Seoul to undo this decision or face the consequences.

But from Seoul’s perspective, it was strange to keep sharing military intelligence with Japan, which portrayed South Korea as a security risk when it imposed export restrictions.

The importance of Stilwell’s Seoul visit next month cannot be emphasized enough considering the plight of Seoul’s relations with Washington and Tokyo, as well as Beijing. Stilwell should have been more careful about mentioning the GSOMIA if he understood South Korea’s position.

The South has maintained strategic ambiguity about reversing the GSOMIA decision, which is a step in the right direction to protect its interests. But it will have to make the final decision in a few weeks before the pact expires.

What is certain is that the matter is linked to how Seoul and Tokyo will iron out their differences over fundamental issues, and find an exit from the ongoing trade friction.

Seoul should do its best to reach out to Tokyo and normalize bilateral ties before it makes any decision. Last week, President Moon sent a letter via Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In the letter, Moon expressed hope for an early resolution of pending problems.

The ball is now in Japan’s court. Japan should show sincere efforts to resolve the dispute over GSOMIA and, by extension, put bilateral relations back on track.