Seoul, Washington to hold defense cost talks

American artillery brigade soldiers participating in the U.S.-South Korea joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill take a break at a training ground in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 19, 2018. Korea Times file

South Korea and the United States are set to hold another round of negotiations in Seoul on Tuesday over dividing the cost for the stationing of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), Seoul officials said.

The allies will struggle to nail down a deal from the 10th round of talks over the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), a cost-sharing contract set to expire at the end of this year. The talks will run through Thursday.

A sticking point is Washington's push for a sharp increase in Seoul's contribution. This year alone, South Korea has contributed 960 billion won (US$859 million) to maintaining U.S. forces on the peninsula, a key deterrent against possible North Korean aggression.

Marines run out from a LVT-7 during the U.S.-South Korea joint landing exercises called Ssangyong, part of the Foal Eagle military exercises, in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Mar. 31, 2014. Yonhap

The Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing people familiar with the SMA talks, that U.S. President Donald Trump wants Seoul to pay as much as double its current amount, the equivalent of $1.6 billion per year for the next five years.

The grueling negotiations have been a source of tensions between the allies, as they strive to remain on the same page to facilitate ongoing diplomacy to denuclearize North Korea and establish a lasting peace regime on the peninsula.

Chang Won-sam, a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Sri Lanka, will lead South Korea's negotiating team and his counterpart will be Timothy Betts, deputy assistant secretary of state for plans, programs and operations.

Previous SMA negotiations were held in Honolulu, Jeju, Washington D.C., Seoul and Seattle earlier this year. (Yonhap)