What Happened With the Japan-South Korea relationship deteriorating amid a small trade war, Seoul has moved to downgrade its intelligence relationship with its fellow U.S. ally. On Aug. 22, South Korea announced that it will terminate its bilateral intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement, citing Japan's early August removal of South Korea from a national security export "white list." The pact will expire on Nov. 24. Why It Matters The Japanese-South Korean intelligence-sharing deal formed part of the broader U.S. strategy to foster greater independent collaboration between the East Asian allies who undergird its regional strategy in countering China's rise . Their pact was meant to streamline, routinize and institutionalize intelligence-sharing, and its termination marks a particularly stinging setback for U.S. efforts, given Washington's high-profile moves to prevent the South Korean pullout.