Korea-US-Japan Cooperation and Wedge Strategy: Export Restrictions and GSOMIA

While the United States led the ROK-US and US-Japan alliances in Northeast Asia, it also strengthened ROK-US-Japan security cooperation to respond to threats from China and North Korea, and led the ROK-Japan GSOMIA to reduce the burden on the United States. However, in this situation, Japan attempted to negatively affect the Korean economy by strengthening export regulations against Korea. Although Korea and Japan are not alliance, but they are also called quasi-alliances/coalitions. Despite the threats from North Korea and China, why did Japan choose tension/conflict rather than cooperation with Korea? And why did the Korean government propose the termination of GSOMIA as a countermeasure? This study focused on inter-state relations, especially tension/conflict rather than cooperation within the alliance. Through a study of the crisis situation that led to Japan’s export regulations and Korea’s termination of GSOMIA, I would like to argue that actions between countries within an alliance are not limited to cooperation, but can harm member countries for the sake of their own national interests.