With less than two weeks left before South Korea's military intel-sharing deal with Japan expires,... the U.S. seems to be upping the pressure on Seoul to reconsider its decision.
Top defense officials from the U.S. are due in South Korea this week,... starting with the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chief of Staff.
Kim Min-ji reports.
With a series of military talks between South Korea and the U.S. lined up for this week,... Washington is expected to turn up the heat on Seoul in terms of GSOMIA and shared defense costs.
That pressure campaign will intensify Wednesday... with the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley due in South Korea following a visit to Japan.
Milley on Tuesday expressed hope of finding a way for Seoul and Tokyo to renew their military intel-sharing pact, GSOMIA before it expires next week.
He made the remark following a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,... adding that GSOMIA will be a point of discussion while he's in the South Korean capital.
Seoul decided to terminate the deal in August, after Japan placed tougher export restrictions on South Korea in retaliation to a court ruling over Japan's wartime forced labor of Koreans.
Unless Seoul retracts its decision, the pact will expire on November 23.
Milley is also expected to pressure Seoul to contribute more to the cost-sharing of U.S. troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula,... after saying the average American would question the need of having U.S. forces in South Korea.
His remarks are in line with Washington's general view... regarding GSOMIA and defense costs.
On Tuesday,... the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Robert Abrams, expressed concern that South Korea's decision to terminate GSOMIA could send a wrong message to their adversaries in the region.
Speaking to reporters at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek as he marked a year in the role,... Abrams said the pact had sent a clear message that the two neighbors were prioritizing stability and security over historical differences.
He said that with it, they are stronger in providing for a stable and secure Northeast Asia.
On the issue of defense costs,... the U.S. official said Seoul can and should pay more as it benefits the South Korean economy noting that the funds are used to pay South Koreans employed by the U.S. military,... and building new facilities for U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula.
The U.S. is reportedly demanding South Korea pay nearly five billion U.S. dollars a year five times more than Seoul agreed to pay this year.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.
