Seoul and Washington will begin negotiations on defense cost sharing come next month.
Under President Trump's America First policy, the U.S. is expected to demand Seoul bear
a greater share.
Oh Jung-hee provides a peak into the likely scenario.
New rounds of negotiations on South Korea-U.S. defense cost sharing are to begin next month,
most likely taking place in Hawaii.
And the negotiations could be tough, with Washington expected to demand that Seoul pay
more.
The two countries split the costs of the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea, with both
paying for Koreans working at U.S. bases in South Korea,... facilities construction and
logistical support.
Under the original Status of Forces Agreement -- which came into effect in 1967 -- South
Korea offered facilities and land for U.S. troops while the U.S. paid all the necessary
costs.
But since the first Special Measures Agreement in 1991,...
Seoul has been paying some of the costs for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
The latest SMA, the ninth of its kind, was signed in 2014 and expires this year.
And that's why Seoul and Washington need to strike their tenth Special Measures Agreement.
Washington has been firm that Seoul needs to pay more.
The Pentagon has specifically pointed out last month... that it "doesn't expect its
friend to be unfair when working together"... and stressed the South Korea-U.S. military
spending agreement has to be reset considering reality and fairness.
South Korea is expected to say that it's already paying enough.
Seoul has been paying nearly 1 trillion won, or almost 920-million U.S. dollars, each year
since the 2014 SMA,... bearing 46-percent of the total cost of the U.S. forces in South
Korea.
Seoul's foreign ministry says... it will strive to create conditions for the stable stationing
of U.S. troops in South Korea and strengthen combined defense capabilities,... but at the
same time will try to reach an agreement that's reasonable and beneficial for South Koreans.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
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