Contain N Korea's missile programmes with trilateral info-sharing

The defence authorities of Japan, the United States and South Korea signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding late last year on the sharing of information concerning North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.

Under the pact, Japan and South Korea will provide each other – via the United States, an ally of both countries – with classified information that each believes it can disclose to the other party.

When North Korea launched a ballistic missile in April 2012, it exploded in midair immediately after the launch. South Korean Aegis ships near the launch site were able to detect the launch and the midair break-up, and track the missile debris, but Self-Defence Force vessels were unable to detect the launch, failing to obtain relevant information swiftly. From now on, it will be easier for Japan to obtain such information from South Korea.

South Korea excels in gathering top-secret information from within North Korea, obtained through its intelligence activities. Japan also has information from Aegis ships other than South Korea’s. The merits of both countries supplementing each other’s understanding through information sharing is tremendous.

Promotion of information sharing among the three countries and reinforcement of security cooperation is expected to have the strategic benefit of deterring North Korea from taking any militarily provocative action. The threats posed by North Korea are growing.

In a recent white paper on national defense, South Korea said the North is presumed to have the capacity to develop long-range ballistic missiles that could threaten the U.S. mainland. It also said North Korea has made progress in miniaturizing a nuclear warhead so it could be put on the tip of a missile. Japan and South Korea should proactively use the latest accord and exchange a greater volume of secret information. To do so, however, it is vital for the defense authorities of both countries to build on dialogue and deepen their mutual trust.

Tokyo and Seoul agreed in June 2012 to conclude the bilateral general security of military information agreement (GSOMIA), under which both countries would exchange a broad range of defense secrets. But South Korea unilaterally postponed signing of the accord. Public caution about cooperation with Japan in the area of national security remains deep-rooted in South Korea.

The United States worked to bring about the latest trilateral accord. However, the accord covers information sharing only on Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, and has no legally binding power. 

The accord covers no direct information sharing between Japan and South Korea, and instead goes only so far as for the two countries to share information via the United States, which has separate GSOMIAs with Japan and South Korea.

To have the trilateral accord cover a wider range of military information and make information management as flawless as possible, it is necessary to aim at concluding a bilateral GSOMIA between Tokyo and Seoul.

South Korea is also concerned about irritating China. Considering its own national security, however, Seoul should gain much from information sharing with Japan.

Bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea are presently beset with a number of pending issues, including that of so-called comfort women. Because of this, summit talks between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye have not been held. The political confrontation has also caused a deterioration of public opinion in both countries toward the other, and stalled bilateral economic ties.

The latest accord could be seen as a “second-best” step, a fruit reaped during a cool period in bilateral relations.