<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-to-terminate-intelligence-pact-with-japan-in-defiance-of-united-states-263779">Japan and South Korea </a>agreed on Saturday to hold formal talks next month, taking a step towards improving relations strained by decades of acrimony over their wartime past and exacerbated by a simmering trade dispute.

The decision to return to the table was announced at a Group of 20 (G20) meeting and came a day after Seoul made a last-minute decision to stick to a critical intelligence-sharing deal with Japan. The dramatic reversal - after months of worsening relations - was later hailed as a "breakthrough" by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-salvages-military-pact-with-japan-at-11th-hour-263924">South Korea</a>.

The dispute has its roots in a decades-old disagreement over compensation for South Korean labourers forced to work at Japanese firms during World War Two. It has deepened this year, and upended trade after Japan curbed exports of materials critical to making the semiconductors that are a pillar of the South Korean economy.

"We bought time for intense discussions, but there's not much time left for us," South Korea's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, told reporters after meeting with her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, at a gathering of G20 foreign ministers in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.

Motegi had earlier said that he wanted to discuss the issue frankly.

"I aim to hold a candid exchange of views on the matter of labourers from the Korean peninsula, which is the core problem, and other bilateral issues," Motegi told reporters in Nagoya.

South Korea made a last-minute decision on Friday to stick with its General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) intelligence-sharing pact with Japan. The agreement was set to expire at midnight on Friday and South Korea had earlier indicated it would let it lapse.

The decision was welcomed by Washington. The United States has pressured its two allies to set aside their feud and maintain the pact, seen as linchpin of trilateral security cooperation.

Japan and South Korea agreed on Saturday to hold formal talks next month, taking a step towards improving relations strained by decades of acrimony over their wartime past and exacerbated by a simmering trade dispute.

Japan and South Korea agreed on Saturday to hold formal talks next month, taking a step towards improving relations strained by decades of acrimony over their wartime past and exacerbated by a simmering trade dispute. The decision to return to the table was announced at a Group of 20 (G20) meeting and came a day after Seoul made a last-minute decision to stick to a critical intelligence-sharing deal with Japan. The dramatic reversal - after months of worsening relations - was later hailed as a "breakthrough" by South Korea. The dispute has its roots in a decades-old disagreement over compensation for South Korean labourers forced to work at Japanese firms during World War Two. It has deepened this year, and upended trade after Japan curbed exports of materials critical to making the semiconductors that are a pillar of the South Korean economy. "We bought time for intense discussions, but there's not much time left for us," South Korea's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, told reporters after meeting with her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, at a gathering of G20 foreign ministers in the central Japanese city of Nagoya. Motegi had earlier said that he wanted to discuss the issue frankly. "I aim to hold a candid exchange of views on the matter of labourers from the Korean peninsula, which is the core problem, and other bilateral issues," Motegi told reporters in Nagoya. South Korea made a last-minute decision on Friday to stick with its General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) intelligence-sharing pact with Japan. The agreement was set to expire at midnight on Friday and South Korea had earlier indicated it would let it lapse. The decision was welcomed by Washington. The United States has pressured its two allies to set aside their feud and maintain the pact, seen as linchpin of trilateral security cooperation.

In bid to repair ties, Japan and South Korea agree to summit next month

South Korea is exploring all options in a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/south-korea-launches-lets-learn-japans-restrictions-website-for-puzzled-businesses-240137">bitter trade row with Japan</a>, including scrapping an intelligence-sharing pact, but wants a cooling-off period with Tokyo, a senior South Korean official said on Saturday.

The trade row escalated on Friday when Japan removed South Korea from a favoured trading nations list, prompting Seoul to warn it would not be defeated again by its neighbour, laying bare decades-old wartime animosity.

South Korea may consider revoking a military information-sharing pact as a countermeasure, a view raised during a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting with the United States and Japan on Friday in Bangkok, said the South Korean official.

The accord, the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), facilitates three-way intelligence gathering with Washington and is crucial for both South Korea and Japan in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The deal is automatically renewed annually on Aug. 24.

"GSOMIA plays a quite significant part in three-way security cooperation," said the official told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Bangkok.

"We've made clear that for our part, we are in a situation to put all options on the table."

The trade dispute has intensified since Japan imposed curbs last month on exports to South Korea of three high-tech materials needed to make memory chips and display panels, threatening the global supply chain.

The move was seen as a response to a South Korean court ruling last year that ordered Japanese firms to compensate some of their wartime forced labourers, though Tokyo cited unspecified security reasons.

Japan says the issue of forced labour was settled by a 1965 treaty that normalised ties between the two countries.

The South Korean official said a "cooling-off period" with Japan was necessary to craft a solution.

"The export curbs confined room for diplomacy for both sides, and the situation is now even more difficult due to another retaliatory measure," said the official, referring to Japan's actions on Friday.

"It's difficult to think about a long-term strategy under such a heightened, agitated situation."

South Korea is exploring all options in a bitter trade row with Japan, including scrapping an intelligence-sharing pact, but wants a cooling-off period with Tokyo, a senior South Korean official said on Saturday.

South Korea is exploring all options in a bitter trade row with Japan, including scrapping an intelligence-sharing pact, but wants a cooling-off period with Tokyo, a senior South Korean official said on Saturday. The trade row escalated on Friday when Japan removed South Korea from a favoured trading nations list, prompting Seoul to warn it would not be defeated again by its neighbour, laying bare decades-old wartime animosity. South Korea may consider revoking a military information-sharing pact as a countermeasure, a view raised during a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting with the United States and Japan on Friday in Bangkok, said the South Korean official. The accord, the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), facilitates three-way intelligence gathering with Washington and is crucial for both South Korea and Japan in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The deal is automatically renewed annually on Aug. 24. "GSOMIA plays a quite significant part in three-way security cooperation," said the official told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Bangkok. "We've made clear that for our part, we are in a situation to put all options on the table." The trade dispute has intensified since Japan imposed curbs last month on exports to South Korea of three high-tech materials needed to make memory chips and display panels, threatening the global supply chain. The move was seen as a response to a South Korean court ruling last year that ordered Japanese firms to compensate some of their wartime forced labourers, though Tokyo cited unspecified security reasons. Japan says the issue of forced labour was settled by a 1965 treaty that normalised ties between the two countries. The South Korean official said a "cooling-off period" with Japan was necessary to craft a solution. "The export curbs confined room for diplomacy for both sides, and the situation is now even more difficult due to another retaliatory measure," said the official, referring to Japan's actions on Friday. "It's difficult to think about a long-term strategy under such a heightened, agitated situation."

South Korea warns Japan of security pact risk, calls for 'cooling-off' in trade row

general-security-of-military-information-agreement

General Security Of Military Information Agreement, News on General Security Of Military Information Agreement, stories on General Security Of Military Information Agreement, articles on General Security Of Military Information Agreement, General Security Of Military Information Agreement stories at Wion, General Security Of Military Information Agreement news, General Security Of Military Information Agreement latest news

general security-of-military-information-agreement

In bid to repair ties, Japan and South Korea agree to summit next month

South Korea warns Japan of security pact risk, calls for 'cooling-off' in trade row