South Korean Decision to Cancel Intelligence Agreement Stretches US Alliance

 

South Korea’s decision to end a military intelligence sharing deal with Japan will not necessarily have an immediate¹ effect on security. But it could create problems for the South Korean alliance with the United States, experts warn.

South Korea announced Thursday that it does not plan to extend the intelligence sharing agreement with Japan. The decision intensified² the South’s growing trade dispute with Japan. That dispute is rooted in Japan’s occupation of the Korean peninsula in the first half of the 20th century.

The agreement, the General Security of Military Information Agreement, did not require the two sides to share military intelligence. But it served as a “roadmap” for the control and use of intelligence.

The South Korean move shows the United States’ lack of influence in East Asia. U.S. officials helped negotiate the agreement in hopes it would help the two Asian countries work together on issues involving North Korea, China and Russia.

While the two countries still have the ability to share intelligence information, the process will be slower. Much of the intelligence will probably pass through the United States first.

That could limit cooperation at a time of crisis. It could also affect efforts to collect information about North Korea’s nuclear and other activities. North Korea has launched eight short-range missiles since May. It has also threatened to begin testing long-range missiles.

“It’s not just symbolic³. Both sides have too much to gain,” says Sung-Yoon Lee. He is a Korea expert with The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy⁴ at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Japan has the technology to gather information on North Korea’s satellites and radar⁵, while South Korea is thought to be better at human intelligence-gathering.

But, most importantly, the decision may affect the relationship between the South and the U.S. government. U.S. officials may no longer see South Korea as a reasonable and dependable security partner.

Next month, the two sides are to open talks over ways to share the cost of the U.S. military presence in South Korea. U.S. officials want South Korea to spend more. The decision about intelligence sharing makes the situation tenser.

“It greatly undermines the credibility of South Korea as a security partner in the eyes of the United States,” says Bong Young-shik. He is with the Institute for North Korean Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said he was “disappointed” by the South Korean decision. A U.S. military spokesman said there was “strong concern and disappointment.”

Both Pompeo and Defense⁶ Secretary Mark Esper had said publicly they hope South Korea would not end the deal.

In a statement released on Friday, a South Korean official said that his country had “close communications with the United States” as it made its decision to end the agreement. He added that his government will work to make sure the U.S.–South Korea alliance is not weakened.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

range – n. distance

symbolic – adj. expressing or representing an idea or quality without using words

undermine – v. to make (someone or something) weaker or less effective usually in a secret or gradual way

credibility – n. the quality of being believed or accepted as true, real, or honest

disappointed – v. dissatisfied

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。