Our top story this morning...<br />South Korea and the United States will hold their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul in the coming hours.<br />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.<br />It is due to lapse in just over a week after South Korea announced its termination due to trade and historical tensions with Japan.<br />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.<br />Esper has made his stance clear on GSOMIA that South Korea should maintain the agreement.<br />Later in the afternoon, the U.S. defense chief will visit South Korea's presidential Blue House to meet with President Moon Jae-in.<br />
