S. Korea, US holds new round of talks on defense cost
By Kim Bo-eun
The third round of talks between South Korea and the U.S. on the former's covering of costs for U.S. troops stationed here began in Washington, Monday (local time).
The two-day negotiations led by Chang Won-sam and his U.S. counterpart Timothy Betts, are taking place to decide how much South Korea will shoulder starting from next year for the 28,500 U.S. troops here, under the Special Measures Agreement (SMA). The last five-year deal expires at the end of this year
A key point of contention is expected to be centered on the costs of deploying U.S. strategic assets here.
In the second round of talks in April, the U.S. proposed that South Korea bear the cost, but Seoul has maintained that the SMA only covers the cost for stationing U.S. troops here; and that for deploying strategic assets should not be addressed in SMA negotiations.
South Korea has proposed that the system of cost provision be changed so that it covers expenditures after they occur, rather than agreeing to pay a certain amount in advance ― in order to improve transparency.
The first round of talks took place in March in Hawaii and the second last month on Jeju Island.
The first SMA was signed in 1991 and has been renewed nine times ― every two to five years.
South Korea is paying 960 billion won ($887.5 million) this year for South Korean staff at U.S. military bases, building military facilities and purchasing supplies.
The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy civic group claimed the status of the U.S. forces in Korea (USFK) should be reviewed at a time when North and South Korea seek to establish peace on the peninsula, in a meeting last week with the SMA taskforce at the foreign ministry.
This is because the USFK is stationed to protect South Korea from possible attacks from the North.
Earlier, a foreign media report stated U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered a review on scaling down the size of the USFK but the White House denied the report. Cheong Wa Dae also stated that the USFK would continue to play its role here.