Photo/Illutration Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security office chief (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

SEOUL--The Tokyo-Seoul feud flared up again after South Korea strongly protested a Japanese official’s announcement concerning an agreement that was intended to ease bickering over trade and a military intelligence pact.

Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security office chief, told reporters in Busan on Nov. 24 that the Japanese official’s announcement “intentionally distorted and expanded what South Korea and Japan had agreed upon.”

Chung said the presidential office has lodged an official protest with the Japanese government through diplomatic channels.

The Japanese official’s announcement came at a news conference held by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Nov. 22, shortly after South Korea, in a last-minute decision, decided to maintain the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan.

Seoul had threatened to let the key military intelligence-sharing pact expire at midnight unless Japan eased its tightened export controls for high-tech materials destined for South Korea.

A top ministry official said at the news conference that the ministry agreed to hold bureau chief level talks, which South Korea has demanded over the issue of the export restrictions.

But the official reiterated that the ministry will continue to impose its strengthened controls on exports to South Korea.

Kang Kyung-wha, South Korea’s foreign minister, has stated that “the export controls should be retracted immediately through the talks.”

Tokyo, however, has said the bureau chief level talks will be held to improve South Korea’s insufficient trade control system, which Japan has cited as the reason for strengthening the export controls.

Chung said South Korea’s turnaround decision to maintain GSOMIA with Japan, as well as its halt of a complaint filed with the World Trade Organization over the export controls, “are all provisional measures that come with strings attached.”

“Future negotiations hinge entirely upon Japan,” he warned. “I am concerned that if Japan repeats the same behavior, big difficulties will arise and affect the progression of bilateral negotiations.”

Chung also said Seoul was offended by the fact that Japanese news media reported the decision to maintain GSOMIA, citing Japanese government sources, before the South Korean government made the announcement.

Japan’s trade ministry on Nov. 24 explained on its Twitter account that it had discussed the outline of the announcement with the South Korean government in advance.