South Korea cautious over Japan-proposed bilateral military pact

Seoul's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore about the development a day after he had bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi, Yonhap News reported.

"There were discussions regarding an (potential) ACSA (acquisition and cross-servicing agreement)," Ahn said, without giving further details.

"As this is a matter that requires understanding and persuasion from the peoples of both countries, we still believe that we should remain cautious," he said.

Typically involving the US and its allies, ACSAs are pacts on facilitating the sharing of logistics supplies and services, such as food, fuel and transportation, during contingencies.

Japan has been seeking to sign a bilateral ACSA with Seoul between their militaries as a way to enhance bilateral military coordination.

But Seoul has been cautious about the issue largely due to concerns that it could potentially allow Japan's Self-Defense Forces to engage in operations on the Korean Peninsula, as well over consideration of its ties with Beijing.