Korea, U.S. and Japan seek to share their military intelligence

The Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera had a trilateral meeting in Singapore on Friday and decided to continue reviewing the sharing of intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The three defense chiefs agreed to launch a working group to discuss the sharing of military intelligence on North Korea. A source from the Korean Defense Ministry said, “The working group will discuss the scope of sharing and how they will share intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.” As the three defense chiefs reached consensus on the need for sharing intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, the three countries could sign an MOU for intelligence sharing going forward.

Many believe, however, that the three countries would not be able to sign an MOU if Tokyo continues to claim sovereignty over the disputed Dokdo islets and raise history issues. In addition, as Japan agrees with North Korea to investigate the abduction issue and lift sanctions against North Korea recently, the relationship between Tokyo and Pyongyang could be a major factor affecting the sharing of intelligence on North Korea.