By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The government remains undecided over a U.S. proposal to use part of South Korea's annual financial contribution to U.S. military funding in relocating its infantry units to the south of Seoul, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.
Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said related government offices, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, are discussing the matter but have not made a decision.
The spokesman dismissed a Stars and Stripes report Tuesday that the defense ministry has agreed with the U.S. position about the use of host-nation funds in relocating U.S. 2nd Infantry Division units stationed north of Seoul to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and expanding the camp.
A ``spokesman'' for the ministry was quoted by the U.S. military newspaper as saying, ``We agreed with the U.S. claim about this fund for the base relocation and expansion plan. It is more effective to spend the funds building up the new facilities rather than the old ones.''
Won said the comment did not represent Seoul's official position.
``We understand the U.S. position, but we have not made any decision on the issue,'' Won told The Korea Times. ``The government will decide on whether to accept the U.S. move or not after considering various options and situations, including public opinion.''
The U.S. claim to use the host-nation funds has stirred up controversy, provoking a backlash from liberal South Korean lawmakers and progressive civic activists, who argue it runs counter to bilateral agreements on the U.S. base relocation.
Opponents claim that if the United States uses the host nation's burden sharing funds, it means South Korean taxpayers will virtually foot most of the $10 billion bill for the relocation project initiated in the interests of the two nations.
Under the Land Partnership Plan (LPP) reached in 2002, the United States promised to foot the bill for moving 2nd ID bases, while South Korea is required to bear the cost for relocating the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul under the Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP) finalized in 2004.
Under a master plan drawn up by the two governments last year, Seoul agreed to spend slightly more than half of the $10 billion program to move U.S. bases to Camp Humphreys, which will accommodate more than 44,000 U.S. servicemen, their families, base workers and South Korean soldiers.
The base relocation had originally been planned to be completed by 2008, but the timeline has been delayed several times due to protests by some Korean farmers in the Pyeongtaek area and other technical problems with constructing and modernizing facilities at the camp, which is to be tripled in size.
The official target date is 2012, but recent reports have said that figure has been revised to at least 2016.
Last year, South Korea paid more than 725 million won in Special Measurement Agreement funds to assist with U.S. force sustainability, and payment of South Korean workers and construction costs.
The figure accounts for about 42 percent of the cost related to the presence of 28,000 U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula, according to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which wants South Korean spending to reach a 50-50 level.
Senior officials from the two nations opened a new round of negotiations Wednesday in Seoul to discuss how to share the joint defense costs. Sources say the United States is asking for a 14.5-percent increase, while South Korea wants a less than 3-percent hike.
The fourth round of talks will end today. The two sides failed to produce any substantial agreements in the previous three rounds of talks this year.
A key topic for the latest defense cost-sharing talks was Seoul's financial contribution. South Korea wants to provide the USFK with funds and military equipment and materials on a case-by-case basis instead of offering a lump sum of cash to avoid unnecessary controversies over the use of host-nation funds.
The United States had been skeptical about the proposal, but a consensus was made on the proposal during the defense ministerial meeting between South Korea and the United States earlier this month, according to defense and foreign ministry officials.