As the U.S. empire of influence wobbles under President Trump, South Korea is charting its own course, more independent of Japan. The U.S. wants to keep the three countries in a militarized stance against China but doesn’t have the sway to enforce it.
Esper urged Japan and South Korea to save the General Sharing of Military Information Agreement, which allows the countries to directly exchange sensitive intelligence without going through the U.S. Trilateral cooperation is critical to countering the threat posed by North Korea and China, he said.
Source: Intelligence pact nears end as Seoul resists US, Japan pressure – Nikkei Asian Review
