South Korea "conferred with the United States" ahead of expanding their air defense zone in a disputed area overlapping one recently announced by China, the US State Department said Sunday. The South Korean government "has conferred with the United States in advance of their decision," US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a communique, adding that US officials "appreciate" Seoul's "efforts to pursue this action in a responsible, deliberate fashion by prior consultations with the United States and its neighbors, including Japan and China