Hankyoreh:
The US is applying intense pressure on South Korea to extend its General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan, which is set to end at midnight on Nov. 23. Following visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell’s message stressing GSOMIA’s importance in a meeting last week with South Korean government officials, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is expected to push forcefully for a GSOMIA extension when he visits Seoul this week to attend a South Korea-US Security Consultative Meeting (SMC) on Nov. 15.
In a Nov. 10 dinner with the leaders of the five major political parties, South Korean President Moon Jae-in signaled that he did not intend to make any hasty concessions without Japan first withdrawing its export controls.
