Japan, S. Korea Ink Controversial Intelligence Deal

TOKYO, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Nov, 2016 ) - South Korea and Japan reached a controversial deal Monday to share defence intelligence, Japanese officials said, despite protests from opposition parties and activists in Seoul.

Japan controlled the Korean peninsula as a colony from 1910-1945, with the legacy of the harsh rule marring relations with both North and South Korea today. South Korea and Japan were on the verge of signing a deal in June 2012, but Seoul suddenly backtracked, with Japanese media blaming anti-Japanese sentiment among the South Korean public for the move.

Both sides reopened talks last month following North Korea's continued advances in its nuclear and missile programmes, which are seen as a threat in both countries.

Officials meeting in Japan's capital "reached a working agreement and conducted a provisional signing," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement, without providing details.

"We will continue making final arrangements toward the official signing," the statement said. The issue remains divisive in South Korea and the timing comes as the country has seen massive street demonstrations calling for the resignation of President Park Geun-Hye over a domestic political scandal.

The deal has been fiercely opposed by South Korean opposition parties and civic activists, citing Seoul's failure to seek public support and historical sensitivities.