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| Jeong Eun-bo, fourth from left, South Korean chief negotiator for defense cost-sharing, talks with his U.S. counterpart James DeHart, second from right, at the sixth round of talks over the issue in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. / Courtesy of foreign affairs ministry |
By Kim Rahn
The sixth round of negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. over defense cost-sharing for the upkeep of United States Forces Korea (USFK) has finished without compromise, with the two sides only confirming different opinions on how much more South Korea needs to pay.
After the 11th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) meeting held in Washington, D.C., Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a short statement to say the two sides agreed on close consultations to rapidly reach a deal which can be accepted by both countries.
"The two sides expanded mutual understanding, but confirmed differences in opinion," the ministry said in the statement. "The Korean side reiterated its basic stance that a deal should be made within the SMA and it should be a reasonable and fair one."
South Korea and the U.S. will discuss when to hold the next round of talks, it added.
The difference of 2020's defense cost mainly came because the U.S. is demanding South Korea increase its contribution from 2019's 1.04 trillion won ($896 million) by a large amount, with some reports saying the U.S. has requested $5 billion.
While South Korean presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min said in a radio interview Thursday that he heard "the gap in opinions has been narrowed considerably," South Korea's chief negotiator Jeong Eun-bo denied this.
"During negotiations, there are always new issues emerging," Jeong told reporters at Dulles International Airport late Thursday night, before leaving for Korea after the talks with his U.S. counterpart James DeHart.
"Considerably could mean different things to different people. From the negotiation team's point of view, there is a blank (between the 10th deal that expired at the end of 2019 and the 11th one that has not been made yet), so we are making efforts to reach a deal as soon as possible and minimize the blank," Jeong said.
He refused to confirm a report that the U.S. lowered its demand from $5 billion to $3.9 billion, saying he would not reveal details about the amount discussed, adding the two sides are talking about how to reach a win-win solution.
"We are approaching a deal step by step, but there still needs to be a process to resolve different opinions in order to reach a level where both sides can understand one another," Jeong said. "South Korea's contribution to the alliance should also be evaluated fairly."
After the sixth negotiation finished, the U.S. again pressured South Korea to raise its share.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper issued a joint commentary in the Wall Street Journal, Thursday, claiming the U.S. is contributing to South Korea's defense through not only the troops but also advanced technologies, which comes from the pockets of American taxpayers.
"The current special measures agreement captures only a portion of the cost of defending South Korea. The U.S. believes it should cover more. As we improve the burden-sharing arrangement, both sides will benefit," they said.
The Pentagon also said the shared defense cost to station U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula eventually benefits South Korea's economy.
"We've continued to push on this since President Trump came into office, and we continue to see it, whether it's in the Middle East, whether it's in Europe, whether it's in Asia, that we expect our allies to pick up a little bit more of the burden," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman was quoted as saying in a briefing, Thursday, by Yonhap News Agency.
"One thing I'd point out with South Korea is much of the monies that are part of that cost-sharing actually go back directly into the South Korean economy in terms of goods and services procured there, the hiring of foreign service nationals who are able to work on the base."
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