South Korea to not extend intelligence-sharing pact with Japan amid tensions

South Korea has announced that it will not extend intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a decision that could further escalate a dispute over history and trade and undercut security cooperation on North Korea.

The decision was announced after an hours-long debate within the presidential National Security Council (NSC). The General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was due to be automatically renewed on Saturday unless either side decided to cancel it.

Japan created a "grave change" in the environment for bilateral security cooperation by removing South Korea's fast-track export status, citing security concerns without providing clear evidence, said Kim You-Geun, a deputy director of the National Security Council. "Under this situation, we have determined that it would not serve our national interest to maintain an agreement we signed with the aim of exchanging military information which is sensitive to security," Kim told a news conference.

South Korea would deliver a formal notice to Japan within the due date, Kim said. There was no immediate reaction from Tokyo, but Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said before the announcement that the deal bolstered security cooperation between the two countries.

"Although ties between Japan and South Korea are in a very tough situation, we believe we should cooperate with South Korea where cooperation is necessary," Suga told a regular news conference earlier on Thursday. The decision is likely to be met with dismay in the United States, which fears weakened security cooperation. The accord is important for efforts to fend off North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The pact, inked in November 2016, allows the two U.S. allies to share sensitive information on missile threats from North Korea, among other things. It is automatically renewed annually unless one of the countries decides to pull the plug.

Seoul had initially been expected to extend the pact, given the importance of military cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Tokyo-Seoul ties have been highly strained recently over trade and history issues. South Korea's Supreme Court ordered last year Japanese firms to pay compensation for wartime forced labor.