강경화 "지소미아 결정된 것 없어"…한중일 외교회담 위해 출국
South Korea's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, is in Beijing for three-way talks with her Japanese and Chinese counterparts.
She'll also sit down separately with the Japanese foreign minister in a closely watched meeting where she'll likely urge Japan to drop its trade restrictions on Korea.
Lee Ji-won has this story.
South Korea's foreign affairs minister Kang Kyung-wha said nothing has been decided on whether Seoul will terminate its military information sharing pact with Tokyo
Minister Kang said this when leaving for Beijing on Tuesday morning, for the 9th Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo foreign affairs ministers' talks.
Kang and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono will also be meeting on the sidelines, reportedly on Wednesday afternoon,... and Kang hinted that she will once again urge Tokyo to withdraw its unfair trade restrictions on Seoul.
"We are still reviewing it. Nothing has been decided yet. // It's a very difficult situation. I'm prepared to actively relay our stance on issues like Japan's trade restrictions on South Korea."
The two diplomats' meeting comes just three weeks after they met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Thailand.
While the two engaged in a war of words at the ASEAN Regional Forum, as both tried to earn support from other countries,... it remains to be seen whether the two will clash again in Beijing as their leaders have seemingly softened their tones.
As Kang said, the ongoing dispute on Japan's trade restrictions, and South Korea's Supreme Court's ruling on Japanese firms compensating Korean laborers are expected to top the agenda.
Japan in July and early August, imposed trade restrictions on South Korea, citing "security reasons."
And as a result, Seoul has been reviewing whether to continue its General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan.
By this Saturday, August 24,... the South Korean government will have to decide whether or not to terminate the pact. GSOMIA is automatically renewed every year unless either party notifies the other that it's leaving the agreement.
There have been local reports that say the decision will be made at the weekly National Security Council meeting on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo ministerial event is slated to take place for three days starting Tuesday, but the three-way talks are expected to be held on Wednesday morning.
The meeting first started in 2007 to boost trilateral cooperation, but it has not been held since 2016 due to scheduling reasons.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
