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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holds a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo a day after the House of Councillors election on July 22. (AFP/Yonhap News)
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KOSTI and NNIS agree to step up cooperation on information sharing, send message to Japan over export control concerns
The Korea Strategic Trade Institute (KOSTI) entered a working agreement with the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for cooperation on export controls for strategic items and technology. While Japan has cited the inadequacy of South Korea’s export management for strategic items as a basis for removing it from its “white list” and stepping up export controls, South Korea and the US are now moving to intensify their cooperative relationship. KOSTI announced on Aug. 26 that it had entered a working agreement with the NNSA – an agency in charge of nuclear nonproliferation and other duties – for stronger enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 prohibiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), KOSTI is a public institution involved in adjudication for strategic items and technology, education, policy researcher, domestic and international cooperation, information on international sanctions, and public relations. According to the agreement, the two sides are to share key information to improve their export control capabilities for dual-use strategic items with applications in both industry and munitions, while cooperating on holding seminars to improve expertise and exchanging personnel specializing in export controls. US ISIS: “South Korea’s strategic item controls superior to Japan’s” The agreement between South Korean and US agencies related to strategic items stands in contrast with Japan’s unilateral move to intensify export controls without any prior or after-the-fact discussions. Japan has cited “inadequacies” in South Korea’s strategic item control capabilities – but without presenting any examples of inappropriate exports or other concrete evidence. In contrast, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a US-based non-profit research institution, put South Korea (17th) ahead of Japan (36th) in a ranking of strategic item control systems for 200 countries published in May. “The signing of this working agreement will be an opportunity to bear to witness South Korea’s standing as a world leader in export controls on strategic items,” said Bang Soon-ja, president of KOSTI. By Choi, Ha-yan, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
