Korea and Japan are poised to sign a military agreement that will allow them to exchange key military intelligence, a government source here said Wednesday.
The source said the two countries will soon reach the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
"The two governments will officially sign the deal as early as this week, or sometime next week at the latest," the source said, adding Korea passed the bill on reaching the GSOMIA at its Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The foreign ministries of the two countries will be the signatories.
Under the GSOMIA, Seoul and Tokyo will share intelligence on North Korea's nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. South Korea had earlier put off discussions on the GSOMIA signing, given strained ties with Japan over the latter's territorial claims to the Dokdo islets. But it changed course following North Korea's long-range missile launch in April, which, according to a South Korean government official, increased the need for Seoul to share North Korean intelligence with Tokyo.
"Japan has a lot of intelligence on North Korea and the GSOMIA with Japan will benefit us a lot," the official said. "Our network will expand under this deal."
Korea currently has similar military deals with 24 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia and Russia. (Yonhap)