Reports indicate that South Korea and the United States are set to commence early discussions concerning the sharing of expenses for maintaining U.S. military forces within South Korea. The goal is to reach an agreement before the potential reelection of former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, as reported by local media on Tuesday.
During his previous presidency, Donald Trump had repeatedly criticized South Korea, a key Asian ally, for what he termed as “free-riding” on the military capabilities of the United States. He insisted that South Korea should contribute as much as $5 billion annually towards the cost of U.S. troop deployments on its soil.
Negotiations over the Special Measures Agreement faced prolonged deadlock during the Trump administration. Ultimately, the deal was reached when South Korea agreed to a substantial 13.9% increase in its financial contribution, marking the largest annual rise in nearly twenty years.
This existing agreement is due to expire in 2025. Unnamed diplomatic sources, as reported by Yonhap news agency and Newspim, have revealed that both South Korea and the United States have now agreed to initiate talks this year to extend the agreement beyond 2025, possibly into 2026 and beyond. Typically, these discussions occur just before the expiration of the existing deal.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk refrained from providing comments on these reports. Instead, he mentioned that the government intends to prepare for the upcoming negotiations in a “systematic, strategic” manner.
As of now, there has been no response from the U.S. State Department regarding these developments.
The presence of American troops in South Korea serves as a joint effort by both nations to deter North Korea, which has been advancing its nuclear and missile programs.
South Korea began covering the expenses associated with U.S. deployments in the early 1990s, which include funding for local labor, the construction of military facilities, and various logistical support functions.
