South Korea’s debate over a military logistics pact with Japan is no longer about whether the agreement makes strategic sense. Successive governments have acknowledged the military logic of an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). Nevertheless, Seoul has retreated when confronted with the domestic political costs, suggesting that the real obstacle is political rather than strategic.

That tension surfaced again on June 8, when President Lee Jae Myung revealedthat he had discussed an ACSA with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The agreement would allow South Korea and Japan to provide each other with logistical support, including fuel, ammunition and supplies,