South Korea and Japan did not exchange military information with each other regarding the launch of DPRK short-range missiles, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing military sources.
Earlier it was reported that the DPRK launched two missiles from the region of Sunchon in the province of Pyongan Namdo towards the Sea of Japan, the flight range was about 370 kilometers, the height was about 90 kilometers. Later, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un congratulated the specialists of the National Defense Academy on a successful test of the security of the continuous fire system.
“Japan did not ask us to share intelligence on the latest launches … South Korea, together with the United States, is able to detect such actions faster than Japan, due to geographical features and other circumstances”, – the agency’s source said, adding that South Korea also didn’t apply for data to Japan.
In mid-August, South Korea announced its refusal to renew the Intelligence Information Exchange Agreement with Japan in response to the withdrawal of the South Korean government from the list of countries most favored by trade. In early July, Japan announced a loss of confidence in South Korea in connection with Seoul’s attempts to pay compensation to the Koreans, whose bonded labor was used by Japanese companies during the years of Japanese colonialism in Korea from 1910-1945.
The agreement on the protection of military information between the two countries was signed in 2016. The United States insisted on signing to strengthen military ties with Japan and South Korea, Washington’s main allies in Asia. Through this agreement, Seoul and Tokyo could directly exchange information about the DPRK without the mediation of the United States. First of all, South Korea showed interest in images from space from Japanese satellites of the territory of the DPRK in connection with the tests of ballistic missiles based on submarines there.
Currently, South Korea has agreements on the exchange of military information with 21 countries, including Russia and the United States. The GSOMIA agreement with Japan expires on November 23 this year.