美 합참의장 오늘 방한…지소미아•방위비 압박 U.S. likely to step up pressure on Seoul in terms of GSOMIA, defense costs during security meetings this week
Less than two weeks ahead of South Korea's intel-sharing deal with Japan expires,... Washington is upping the pressure on Seoul to reconsider its decision.
Top American defense officials will visit the nation this week.
The JCS Chairman has already arrived this afternoon.
Kim Min-ji starts us off.
The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, is in Seoul... for a series of defense meetings with South Korean officials.
On Thursday,... he'll sit down with his South Korean counterpart Park Han-ki for the Military Committee Meeting, where the two sides will discuss the recent security situation on the Korean Peninsula and pending security issues.
High on the agenda will be GSOMIA and shared defense costs,... with Washington expected to turn up the heat on Seoul.
Milley on Tuesday expressed hope of finding a way for Seoul and Tokyo to renew their military intel-sharing pact, GSOMIA, before it expires on November 23.
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 for a court ruling on Japan's drafting of Koreans into wartime forced labor.
South Korea said it could only reconsider GSOMIA if Japan first changes course.
On a similar note,... the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Robert Abrams expressed concern that South Korea's decision to terminate GSOMIA -- could send the wrong message to their regional adversaries.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday 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.
With it, he said, 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.
#U.S. #GSOMIA #defense
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