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South Korea and the United States will hold their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul in the coming hours.
South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper are expected to focus their talks on GSOMIA,... Seoul's military intelligence sharing pact with Japan.
It is due to lapse in just over a week after South Korea announced its termination due to trade and historical tensions with Japan.
Due to Seoul's decision to withdraw from GSOMIA, a decision the U.S. is against, sources say it's highly likely Esper will press Seoul to raise its defense cost sharing to 5 billion U.S. dollars for next year.
Esper has made his stance clear on GSOMIA that South Korea should maintain the agreement.
Later in the afternoon, the U.S. defense chief will visit South Korea's presidential Blue House to meet with President Moon Jae-in.
