Japanese Ambassador to South Korea (L) and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo sign the GSOMIA in Seoul, South Korea, November 23, 2016 (Photo: EPA/VNA)

The two countries signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in November, 2016. The deal is automatically extended if neither side chooses to end it by 90 days before the end of a one-year period. An official said both countries want to keep the agreement given the Korean peninsula's security situation. He said the South Korean Defense Ministry believes strategic communication between Seoul and Tokyo is needed in the pursuit of North Korea's denuclearization and peace in the region.