S. Korea, US name new chief negotiators for defense cost sharing talks

Lee Tae-woo, South Korea's new chief negotiator for the defense cost sharing with the United States, speaks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno District, Seoul, March 5. Yonhap

South Korea and the United States announced Tuesday their chief negotiators for talks on the sharing of the costs for the upkeep of U.S. troops stationed here, heralding the launch of the crucial talks soon.

Lee Tae-woo, a senior diplomat and former consul general in Sydney, will lead the South Korean delegation on the upcoming rounds of the talks on the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), according to a joint press release by Seoul's foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department.

Linda Specht, a senior adviser and lead negotiator for security agreements at the U.S. State Department, will be the chief negotiator on the U.S. side, the department said.

The allies did not specify when the negotiations will begin.

"Both delegations will endeavor to engage in productive consultations that strengthen the U.S.-ROK combined defense posture and further solidify our alliance," they said in the release.

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

"Taking a heavy responsibility, I will do my best to achieve a reasonable level of defense-cost sharing through future negotiations with the United States, in order to create conditions for a stable stationing of the U.S. troops in South Korea, an important pillar of the ROK-U.S. joint defense posture," Lee told reporters in a briefing.

Lee Tae-woo, a senior diplomat and South Korea's new chief negotiator for the defense cost sharing with the United States, right, speaks at a symposium at Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul in this Nov. 17, 2022 file photo. Yonhap

Since 1991, Seoul has partially shouldered costs under the SMA for Korean USFK workers; the construction of military installations, such as barracks, and training, educational, operational and communications facilities; and other logistical support.

The current SMA is set to expire at the end of 2025 under a six-year term.

The announcement came after a senior Seoul official said the allies will likely begin talks on the next defense cost sharing deal in the near future.

In January, a local news outlet reported that Seoul and Washington had agreed to launch the talks earlier than planned, a move that appeared to consider the possible reelection of former U.S. President Donald Trump, known for his tough bargaining on such deals.

During Trump's presidency, the SMA negotiation was a major bone of contention as he demanded a hefty rise in South Korea's share of the cost for the USFK. He reportedly called for a fivefold increase to $5 billion.

"We have the shared understanding with the U.S. that we should have plenty of time for the negotiations regardless of the U.S. presidential election. There is no other special meaning," a foreign ministry official said.

The two sides signed the SMA for 2020-26 in April 2021, soon after the launch of the Joe Biden administration. The deal came after 18 months of tough haggling over how much Seoul should shoulder for the stationing of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea.

Under the latest and 11th SMA, South Korea agreed to raise the payment by 13.9 percent from 2019 to $1.03 billion for 2021.

Lee is the right person for the job with his rich experience and expertise in various fields of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the foreign ministry said.

Lee has held various posts in North American and North Korea's nuclear affairs. Before serving his last position as the consul general, Lee was the director general of the North Korean nuclear affairs bureau at the foreign ministry.

Lee also worked at the South Korean Embassy in Washington as a counselor.

The South Korean delegation for the new SMA talks will comprise officials from the ministries of foreign, defense and finance, as well as those from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the ministry said. (Yonhap)