U.S., South Korea can't agree on sharing
the bill after Trump's criticism
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[December 14, 2018]
By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and
South Korea have failed to agree on a bigger South Korean share of the
cost of maintaining U.S. troops, an official said on Friday, as the U.S.
military warned Korean workers they might be put on leave if no deal is
reached.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that South Korea should
bear more of the burden for keeping some 28,500 U.S. troops in South
Korea, where the United States has stationed forces since the 1950-53
Korean War.
Senior officials from both sides held three-day talks in Seoul from
Tuesday to hammer out an accord to replace a 2014 deal due to expire
this year, which requires South Korea to pay about 960 billion won ($850
million) this year.
Despite 10 rounds of negotiations since March, the two sides struggled
to reach an agreement after the United States demanded a sharp increase,
South Korean officials said.
"We've come to agreement on almost all elements but could not make it
final because of differences on the total scale of the deal," a senior
South Korean foreign ministry official told reporters on condition of
anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
In a statement, U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) said it was seeking a "swift
conclusion" to the negotiations "to mitigate a possible lapse in
contributions" from South Korea.
"Due to the ongoing consultative talks between U.S. and Republic of
Korea (ROK) delegations, we are unable to speculate on potential
outcomes," the statement said.
The United States initially pushed South Korea to increase its share of
the burden to about $1.2 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported last
week, citing unidentified sources.
South Korean and American officials have not publicly confirmed a dollar
amount.
South Korean officials have said the United States asked that South
Korea pay for the mobilization of equipment, such as bombers,
nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, during joint military
exercises.
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U.S. army soldiers take part in a U.S.-South Korea joint
river-crossing exercise near the demilitarized zone separating the
two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea, April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Kim
Hong-Ji/File Photo
Trump announced a halt to the exercises in June after a summit with
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying they were very expensive and
paid for mostly by his country.
Some small-scale joint exercises have taken place since then, while
major ones were suspended as part of efforts to expedite talks aimed
at ending North Korea's nuclear program.
The South Korean official said the two sides were not expected to
meet again this year, raising the risk of a funding gap.
Last month, U.S. Forces Korea warned South Korean workers some of
them might have to "furlough", or go on unpaid leave, from mid-April
if a deal could not be reached.
In its statement on Friday, USFK said it would ensure that South
Korean employees "have adequate time to prepare for any potential
furlough."
About 70 percent of South Korea's contribution covers the salaries
of some 8,700 employees who provide administrative, technical and
other services for the U.S. military.
"We are making efforts to minimize any negative impact that may have
on the employees," said the ministry official.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; additional reporting by Josh Smith;
Editing by Robert Birsel)
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