South Korea, the United States and Japan will look to expand their sharing of military intelligence in response to the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, a top US diplomat was quoted by Yonhap as saying on Wednesday.

US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken made the remarks in an interview with South Korean reporters, saying the three countries were boosting security cooperation to protect their citizens from any North Korean provocation.

"Information-sharing among us is one important element of being as safe and secure as possible," he said. "And we will look for ways to deepen that information sharing as we move forward."

The prospect of sharing military intelligence with Japan has been a sensitive issue in South Korea where there are still deep-seated reservations about the former colonial ruler. In 2012, the two sides tried to sign a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to share intelligence on North Korea, but the plan was scrapped, as critics accused the government of arranging the deal behind their backs.

The US, meanwhile, has sought to strengthen trilateral cooperation with its two East Asian allies and encouraged them to mend ties in part to keep a rising China in check.

Last month, Japanese media said Seoul and Tokyo had agreed to open discussions on signing the GSOMIA, but Seoul denied the report.

Source ; MENA