[Editorial] Is the US siding with Japan on GSOMIA?

South Korean marines engage in a training exercise on Dokdo on Aug. 25.

In the days following the South Korean government’s decision to terminate its intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, the US government has continued to heap pressure on South Korea. On Aug. 27, a senior US official basically asked Seoul to reverse its decision to pull out of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which it claims impinges directly on US security interests. We can’t help but feel disappointed in the US for appearing to only pressure South Korea while turning a blind eye to Japan’s unfair economic retaliation, which triggered the GSOMIA decision.

In statements issued immediately after the South Korean government’s GSOMIA decision, the US State Department and Defense Department both expressed their “deep concerns.” In a separate tweet on Aug. 25, US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus wrote, “We are deeply disappointed and concerned that the ROK’s government terminated the General Security of Military Information Agreement.” The US embassy in Seoul went so far as to retweet a Korean translation of that message.

On Aug. 27, a high-ranking US official who spoke on condition of anonymity made remarks that went even further. While directly mentioning American security interests, the official said that the US couldn’t just sit idly by while South Korea terminated GSOMIA. The same official said he hoped that South Korean leaders would change their mind before Nov. 23, when GSOMIA actually ends. It’s apparent that Washington is upping its pressure on Seoul to reverse its decision.

This US official also took issue with a Dokdo defense exercise carried out by the South Korean government, asserting that the exercise doesn’t help resolve the situation and just makes it worse. These remarks were not only excessive, crossing a red line in diplomatic relations, but can also be seen as inappropriate interference in the affairs of a sovereign state. Considering that the US hasn’t taken issue with Dokdo exercises before, making such claims now, during a period of conflict between South Korea and Japan, could be construed as the US looking out for Japan’s interests while disregarding South Korea’s.

This same official said that both South Korea and Japan bear responsibility for the escalation of their conflict, remarking that this problem needs to be resolved through serious discussion. That represents something of a departure from the “concern and disappointment” that the US had aimed entirely at the South Korean government. But overall, the remarks are focused on putting pressure on South Korea. The US has yet to make a single comment about Japan’s unfair retaliatory measures, which are the fundamental cause of this conflict. Such American bias favoring Japan will not only make its calls for dialogue between the two countries ring hollow but also provoke defiance from the South Korean public over American pressure. The US needs to make sure it doesn’t appear to be siding with Japan and fulfill its duties as an ally.

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