Japan, S. Korea put off signing of 1st military pact at last minute

19:44, 29 June 2012

TOKYO/SEOUL, June 29. KAZINFORM Japan and South Korea on Friday postponed signing their first-ever military agreement, aimed at sharing classified information, due to a last-minute request from South Korea amid concern about a public backlash over the strengthening of cooperation with its former colonial power.

The postponement, announced around 20 minutes before the planned signing ceremony in Tokyo at 4 p.m., reflects how difficult it is for the two countries to work together amid South Korea's lingering resentment over Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, Kyodo reports.

South Korea's decision came on the heels of a request from the ruling Saenuri Party, in a sudden reversal of its earlier stance, to President Lee Myung Bak's government to delay the signing to allow the National Assembly to review the politically sensitive issue.