hankyoreh

A few days ago, the Lee Myung-bak government quietly passed a move to form a military intelligence protection partnership with Japan. The signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) could come as early as June 29, just a few days after plans for the agreement were made public.
Perversely, Seoul is using the North Korea threat as an excuse to join hands militarily with the very country responsible for the division of the Koreas -- and all behind the backs of the South Korean public.
This signing is not something that can be handled through some kind of covert operation. Back on May 17, Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin said the matter would discussed in the National Assembly. Instead, we saw it whisked through the Cabinet without so much as an announcement that it was being raised, never mind any parliamentary debate. Speaking on behalf of the government, second deputy culture minister Kim Yong-hwan claimed, absurdly, that the matter was “omitted from the briefings due to a failure to recognize the seriousness of the situation.”
The government is making the signing out to be no big deal, citing the military secrecy protection agreements South Korea has with 24 other countries, including the US and Canada. But a military agreement with Japan is a different matter. Public opinion here simply will not tolerate us joining forces militarily with a country that refuses to budge on historical matters such as its erroneous claims to the Dokdo islets. A government with any sense at all would have tried to see what the public‘s thoughts were and win them over. Ours didn’t even hold a hearing.
Public sentiment is not the only problem with this agreement. There’s nothing new about Washington calling for increased military cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo as part of a trilateral military alliance. This is part of a longstanding strategic vision aimed at reining in the growing presence of China. The agreement also smacks of an effort to pave the way for a missile defense system between the three countries. At a time when antagonism is building between Washington and Beijing, the administration here has been pushing the pedal to the floor on misguided policies that favor the US. It is obvious what this will lead to: Beijing, Pyongyang, and Moscow closing their own trilateral ranks, and deepening Cold War-style antagonism in Northeast Asia.
Once the engine is running, military cooperation with Japan will only get bigger and stronger. We can’t rule out the possibility of things developing beyond the level of simple intelligence sharing into a full-fledged military alliance. We cannot stand idly by as the government of the very country that suffered most from Japan’s militarism now takes the lead in encouraging its development into a military power and legitimizing its military interventions on the Korean Peninsula. The administration needs to call off the signing and submit this matter to public debate.
　
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