The Defense Department has expressed support to a provisional agreement signed by South Korea and Japan to facilitate sharing of military intelligence data between the two countries, the Korea Herald reported Tuesday.
Cmdr. Gary Ross, a spokesman for DoD, told Yonhap News Agency that a potential General Security of Military Information Agreement could help build up cooperation between the two U.S. allies in northeast Asia amid threats posed by North Korea.
The preliminary agreement signed Monday seeks to share and protect sensitive data on North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities, according to a report by Elaine Lies for Reuters.
Japan and South Korea plan to continue discussions as both countries aim to sign the final pact by the end of November, Reuters cited Kyodo news agency.
Both countries were set to sign the bilateral intelligence sharing agreement in 2012 but negotiations failed to advance due to opposition in South Korea to such a pact with the country’s former colonial ruler, the report added.
