South Korea and Japan are close to signing a controversial military information sharing pact, Seoul officials said Tuesday.

“(Seoul and Tokyo) were close to an agreement in 2012, so we will be able to arrange the draft in a short period,” said Moon Sang-kyun, spokesman for the Defense Ministry.

A second working-level meeting is scheduled to be held in Seoul on Wednesday for the General Security of Military Information Agreement, which would mark Seoul’s first bilateral military agreement with Tokyo.

The two governments already met last Tuesday in Tokyo. The GSOMIA is designed to enable information sharing between the two countries’ military assets, particularly concerning North Korea issues.

Seoul and Tokyo came close to signing a deal in 2012, but the talks were grounded amid a public backlash in Seoul over what was perceived as “secretive negotiations” as well as the public’s negative perception of Japan due to the history of its colonial occupation of the country. 

Mindful of such criticism, Moon vowed that the negotiation process would be carried out in a “fair and transparent” manner.

There has been speculation that the agreement will be signed by early December, however the ministry has neither confirmed nor denied this.

The South Korean military, including the Defense Minister Han Min-koo, has stressed the necessity of a GSOMIA with Japan in light of growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

Over the past year, Pyongyang has conducted two nuclear tests and test-fired over 20 ballistic missiles ranging from intermediate-range Musudan to submarine-launched KN-11, both of which were successfully launched for the first time this year.

Japan’s intelligence assets far outstrip South Korea’s, with six destroyers equipped with Aegis combat systems, advanced radar and technology; four land-based radars with ranges of over 1,000 kilometers; 17 early warning aircraft and 77 patrol planes crucial to anti-submarine operations.

The Trilateral Information Sharing Arrangement inked by South Korea, the US and Japan in December 2014 allows Seoul and Tokyo to share military secrets via Washington, which has a bilateral military intelligence pact with both countries. But military officials have called for a faster exchange of information with Japan.

“For example, SLBM is operated on a submarine and there are limits to information we can get on (North Korean) submarines from TISA alone. ... If we acquire more information on Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, we would be able to come up with more timely countermeasures,” said a high-ranking official from the Defense Ministry.

Kim Soung-chul, a diplomatic strategy researcher from the local think tank Sejong Institute, said that a Seoul-Tokyo GSOMIA is essential in order to set up a three-legged defense strategy against the North.

“In case of crisis on the peninsula, Japan can provide back-up for the UN Command and US military based in Japan. It can possibly send its troops to peninsula with the US, for which it requires consent from the South Korean government,” he wrote in his report.

South Korea currently has a GSOMIA with 19 countries including the US, Russia, Australia and Ukraine, as well as related arrangements with 13 other countries. The South Korean military recently suggested negotiating a GSOMIA with China, with whom relations have been soured over Seoul and Washington’s decision to dispatch a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system on the peninsula.

Kim pointed out that due to the shared history and ongoing territorial dispute, mutual trust between South Korea and Japan is limited. And if Japan takes on a more prominent role in regional security, it could agitate the “security dilemma” between the two countries. Also enhanced military cooperation between the three countries could lead to a factional dispute with China, Russia and possibly North Korea, which some experts have called the “new Cold War.”

Apart from the military aspects, there has been accusations that the South Korean Defense Ministry is hurrying to clinch the much-disputed deal while the public is focused on the influence peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye’s confidante Choi Soon-sil.

The ministry has vowed to wait on signing the agreement until public sentiment is favorable, however there are no polls or data which show public support.

“Minister (Han) has always said that a (GSOMIA) is necessary, but said the situation has to be favorable. ... He must explain why he believes now is the best time to restart the negotiations, when polls clearly show that the public is against it,” said Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea during a session of the parliamentary defense committee.

Han did not directly address Rhee’s question but reiterated the need to use Japan’s intelligence assets.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Cho June-hyuck denied suspicion that the government has been pressured to conclude the negotiations by outside parties like Japan. He added that the government is carrying out the process of collecting public opinion, without elaborating on the process.

South Korean government has said that the basic principle for the military is to separate the issue of security from history or policy, indicating that it believes GSOMIA to be beneficial to national security regardless of public sentiment.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)