S. Korea not considering delaying GSOMIA termination: defense ministry

South Korea is not considering postponing the termination of the soon-to-expire military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, the defense ministry said Monday.

The General Security of Military Information Agreement between South Korea and Japan is to expire on Nov. 23, following Seoul's decision in August to end it after Japan announced export curbs on Seoul, citing security concerns.

As the deadline draws near, some media have speculated that South Korea is considering an option to put off its termination until the two sides reach a resolution to their economic and historic feuds. 

But defense ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo said at a regular briefing on Monday that, "So far, (the option) has not been reviewed, as far as I know," adding that such speculation "has not been confirmed."

She then reiterated the government's stance that "diverse measures can be reviewed only when Japan first removes its export restrictions and the relations between South Korea and Japan recover."

South Korea sees Japan's export curbs as political retaliation for last year's Korean Supreme Court rulings against Japanese firms over wartime forced labor.

The United States has called on South Korea to withdraw the decision, but Seoul has maintained the position that any reconsideration would be possible only when Japan first changes its course. (Yonhap)