Published : Aug. 26, 2019 - 13:06
The spokeswoman of the US State Department has expressed disappointment again over South Korea's decision last week to terminate its military information-sharing agreement with Japan.
The US State Department in Washington, DC (AFP)
Amid a rancorous row with Tokyo over wartime history and trade, Seoul announced its decision last week to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), seen as a rare symbol of security collaboration between the two countries and a platform to promote their trilateral defense cooperation with their mutual ally, the United States.
"We are deeply disappointed and concerned that the ROK's government terminated the General Security of Military Information Agreement GSOMIA," Morgan Ortagus, the spokeswoman, tweeted Sunday (US time).
"This will make defending Korea more complicated and increase risk to US forces," she added.
After Seoul's decision on GSOMIA, Washington expressed "strong concern" and "disappointment" over Seoul's decision in a rare public rebuke against its ally.
The US has seen the pact as a core node of three-way security collaboration at a time when it has been seen striving to maintain its military preeminence that could weaken in the face of China's push for heavier armaments based on its rising economic heft. (Yonhap)