During their first meeting at the ASEAN summit last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations and advancing the Camp David framework. However, historical grievances and diverging security priorities threaten to derail this vision.

With North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and China’s growing assertiveness raising the stakes, South Korea and Japan face significant challenges in aligning their defense strategies.

Experts caution that without resolving these tensions, efforts to institutionalize military cooperation may falter, hindering both countries’ ability to deepen military cooperation.