Korea, Japan agree to develop 'future-oriented security cooperation'

Korea and Japan agreed to develop "future-oriented security cooperation" in a joint meeting of senior diplomats and defense officials in Seoul Monday, the first such talks in five years.

Korea and Japan hold a “two-plus-two” foreign affairs and defense meeting at the Foreign Ministry compound in Jongno District, central Seoul, Monday, the first such talks in five years. On the right, Korea’s Seo Min-jung, director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and Woo Kyoung-suk, deputy director-general for international policy at the Defense Ministry, speak with their Japanese counterparts, Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general of Asian and Oceanian affairs, and Atsushi Ando, deputy director-general of the Defense Policy Bureau. [YONHAP]

Korea and Japan agreed to develop "future-oriented security cooperation" in a joint meeting of senior diplomats and defense officials in Seoul Monday, the first such talks in five years.

The so-called "two-plus-two" diplomacy and security dialogue of director-general-level officials focused on exchanging views on the security environment in Northeast Asia, the current status of defense and security policies and the future direction of bilateral cooperation, including against growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

It follows President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's bilateral summit last month in Tokyo, where they agreed to work toward normalizing relations frayed by historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, especially taking into consideration rising regional security risks.

Monday's meeting, the twelfth of its kind, took place at the Foreign Ministry building in central Seoul. South Korea was represented by Seo Min-jung, director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and Woo Kyoung-suk, deputy director-general for international policy at the Defense Ministry.

They spoke with their Japanese counterparts, Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general of Asian and Oceanian affairs, and Atsushi Ando, deputy director-general of the Defense Policy Bureau.

"The two sides exchanged wide-ranging, in-depth views on the Northeast Asian security environment, including the North Korean nuclear issue, and the current status of cooperation on foreign and defense policies between the two countries," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the talks, which lasted around 150 minutes. They also discussed broader bilateral and trilateral cooperation with the United States.

Through the latest consultations, the two sides agreed to "share perceptions of the security environment in Northeast Asia between the foreign affairs and security authorities of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding of each other's defense and security policies and develop future-oriented security cooperation between Korea and Japan," the ministry added.

The two countries' foreign ministers agreed to form a bilateral security policy consultative body in 1997, and the inaugural meeting was held in Seoul in 1998.

Since then, 11 rounds of talks have been held. The last such joint meeting was held in March 2018 in Tokyo.

The two-plus-two talks have been on a hiatus following Korea's Supreme Court rulings later in 2018 ordering Japanese companies to individually compensate Korean victims of forced labor during World War II.

The Japanese government imposed export restrictions on Korea in the summer of 2019, largely seen as a retaliatory measure in response to the forced labor rulings, contributing to a further deterioration of bilateral relations.

In response, Korea nearly terminated the General Security of Military Information Agreement (Gsomia), its military intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo established in 2016 and renewed annually. In November 2019, the Moon Jae-in administration conditionally suspended the decision to terminate Gsomia, technically leaving open the possibility that the pact could be scrapped at any time.

After the Yoon-Kishida summit, Korea formally normalized Gsomia with Japan, removing such technicalities.

Yoon said in a joint press conference with Kishida on March 16 that Korea's national interest is not in a "zero-sum" relationship with Japan, stressing that it is beneficial for both countries to normalize frayed relations to better respond to security issues such as North Korea.

Yoon and Kishida agreed to resume shuttle diplomacy between the two countries' leaders and also restore various consultation channels, including security talks.

During the two-plus-two talks, the two sides could have further discussed the recent normalization of Gsomia and ways to further cooperate on information-sharing.

The meeting comes amid the rapidly changing security environment in Northeast Asia, especially with intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China, and as Washington has pushed for closer trilateral coordination with its East Asian allies to better cope with regional tensions, including Pyongyang's missile threats.

Last December, Japan decided to revise three key security documents to fundamentally strengthen its defense capabilities, including possessing "counterstrike capabilities" against enemy military bases, seen as a move away from Japan's post-war "Peace Constitution."

The South Korean government has stressed the need for Tokyo to closely consult in advance with Seoul on matters that significantly impact the security of the Korean Peninsula and its national interests.

The two countries' foreign ministries are also said to be working toward resuming vice-ministerial level strategic dialogue, which has been suspended since 2014.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]