South Korea’s Defense Ministry has stressed the necessity of the controversial Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

The ministry’s policy office chief Lim Gwan-bin met with reporters on Thursday where he emphasized the need of the pact to utilize Japan’s information capacity regarding North Korea amid heightening threats by Pyongyang.

Lim said in-depth discussions were made on the GSOMIA and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) during a defense ministerial meeting between the two countries in February last year. He added that the approval of the GSOMIA comes after one-and-a-half years of working level talks between the two sides.

However, Lim said that discussions on the ACSA have been suspended due to South Koreans’ bitter sentiment towards Japan.