South Korea's top diplomat says the withdrawal decision was made separately to considerations over Seoul's alliance with Washington.
Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks late Thursday upon her arrival from Beijing, where talks with her Japanese counterpart with neither side budging on their trade spat.
"The decision came amid a situation triggered by trust issues between Seoul and Tokyo, and so it's an issue separate from the South Korea-U.S. alliance. This also means there were discussions today on ways to continue boosting and developing the South Korea-U.S. alliance..."
Kang also said South Korea will relay that same message when it officially notifies Japan and the U.S. about the termination of GSOMIA.