South Korea, Japan discuss military pact

South Korea and Japan discussed the possibility of a military-logistics support agreement, known as an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement (ACSA), during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back confirmed the discussions with his Japanese counterpart Shinjirō Koizumi, but emphasized Seoul's cautious approach due to persistent grievances over Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule and public resistance to Japanese troops operating on the Korean Peninsula. Japan has been seeking such a pact to enhance bilateral military coordination and trilateral cooperation with the United States, aiming to strengthen deterrence against North Korean threats and China's assertiveness. Additionally, the Japanese defense ministry stated that Koizumi and Ahn discussed conducting a joint humanitarian search and rescue exercise in June, the first in about nine years. South Korea also has ongoing discussions with the United States regarding the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).