News analysis

China, Russia and North Korea benefit from Seoul ditching intel pact: Experts

Ending of South Korea-Japan agreement will reduce US influence in the region, they say

South Korean protesters at a rally targeted at the General Security of Military Information Agreement, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Thursday. Local polls have indicated that more South Koreans are in favour of scrapping the deal, and
South Korean protesters at a rally targeted at the General Security of Military Information Agreement, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Thursday. Local polls have indicated that more South Koreans are in favour of scrapping the deal, and one analyst believes domestic politics must have weighed heavily on President Moon Jae-in's mind when he made the decision. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
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South Korea's termination of a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan is a "strategic miscalculation" that will only benefit China, Russia and North Korea as it diminishes the influence of the United States, their joint ally, in the region, observers said.

The treaty, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), was brokered by the US and fosters direct intelligence-sharing between the two Asian countries.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 24, 2019, with the headline China, Russia and North Korea benefit from Seoul ditching intel pact: Experts. Subscribe