In the midst of rising diplomatic tensions between South Korea and Japan, the South Korean government on Thursday announced that it will cancel a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan. The move could undermine both countries’ efforts to monitor North Korea’s missile activity and thereby frustrate the US government, which had promoted the pact from the start and has been trying to prevent South Korea from abandoning it.
The diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan started deteriorating recently after Japan adopted a number of trade restrictions targeting South Korea, which in turn revoked Japan’s status as a trusted trade partner.
Read more: South Korea Says It Will Scrap Intelligence-Sharing Deal With Japan