Military Agreement / KBS뉴스(News)

Описание: [Anchor Lead]
After hard-bargaining negotiations of nearly a year, South Korea and the U.S. have reached an agreement on sharing the upkeep costs for stationing U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula. The agreed amount is less than the U.S.' initial demand. Under the new agreement, however, South Korea will contribute more than one trillion won for the first time. Seoul will also have a burden to negotiate new terms every year. Here's more
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South Korea inked an agreement with the U.S. to pay nearly 1.039 trillion won as its share for stationing U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula. It's an 8.2 percent increase from last year's contribution in proportion to a rise in the nation's defense budget for 2019. As a result, South Korea will pay over one trillion won for the first time to keep U.S. forces in the country. However, the amount is 90 billion won less than what the U.S. initially sought. The U.S. withdrew its original plan to have South Korea pay for the cost of deploying strategic assets to the peninsula.
[Soundbite] Kang Kyung-wha(Minister of Foreign Affairs)
However, the new deal will be effective for just one year as the U.S. demanded, which is far shorter than South Korea's proposal of three to five years. It is said that the two allies have reached the compromise to prevent the defense-cost sharing talks from putting a strain on their relations with a second North Korea-U.S. summit slated for later this month.
[Soundbite] Timothy Betts(U.S. Top Negotiator)
However, the two allies will have to launch new military-cost sharing negotiations as early as in the first half of this year. South Korea plans to extend the period of the new agreement. However, prospects are not good. The U.S. is now drawing up new guidelines on sharing defense costs with allies. Observers say that it's highly likely that South Korea will be the first country to be affected by the new policies.