Will historical tensions, politics upend South Korea, Japan, US deal to boost defence ties?
- Analysts say security framework could face challenges due to differences in priorities among the three countries involved
Defence ministers from South Korea, the United States and Japan have signed a landmark agreement to formalise their trilateral security cooperation, but analysts warn that politics and historical tensions between Seoul and Tokyo could undermine it.
Although the memorandum of cooperation is not legally binding, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik underscored the significance of the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework (TSCF), describing it as “the first document in history” that would act as a foundational agreement to “institutionalise” the three-way security cooperation.
Shin dismissed claims that the signing was hurried to occur before the US presidential election in November.
“The acceleration of security cooperation is driven by the volatility of the security situation, not by the US political calendar,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Shin pointed to the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, its growing military cooperation with Russia, and the potential for attempts to alter the regional status quo by force as key factors necessitating the enhanced security framework.
