US, S. Korea near tentative troop funding deal

They will ink multiple-year contract instead of one-year stopgap pact, which could end US demand for hefty rise

In this 2019 photo, a US soldier is seen in a shopping zone outside US Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek city, South Korea. The decades-old military alliance between the US and South Korea was dealt a blow yesterday when the US military put almost half of
In this 2019 photo, a US soldier is seen in a shopping zone outside US Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek city, South Korea. The decades-old military alliance between the US and South Korea was dealt a blow yesterday when the US military put almost half of its 8,500 South Korean civilian workers on furlough due to the funding dispute. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SEOUL • The United States and South Korea have tentatively reached a military cost-sharing agreement, Yonhap News Agency reported, potentially ending months of bickering over the Trump administration's demands for a massive increase.

The two sides agreed to sign a multiple-year contract rather than another stopgap one-year deal, the Seoul-based news service reported, citing a South Korean government official it did not identify.

The seven-decade-old military alliance was dealt a blow yesterday when the US military put almost half of its 8,500 South Korean civilian workers on furlough due to the funding dispute.

General Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea, called the furloughs "heartbreaking" and "unfortunate", saying the move was "not what we envisioned or hoped would happen".

The furlough was a first of its kind for the American security partnership that serves as a check on China and North Korea.

It also unsettled operations at military facilities in South Korea, where about 28,000 US service personnel are stationed.

The two sides are putting the finishing touches on the deal, the person told Yonhap on condition of anonymity, adding that various possibilities remained open.

The report did not mention how the two sides bridged a gap after US President Donald Trump asked for as much as a fivefold increase and South Korea showed no signs of paying anywhere near that much.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry and the US State Department declined to comment on the report.

The two sides have been deadlocked over what is known as the Special Measures Agreement, with Mr Trump initially demanding about US$5 billion (S$7.2 billion) a year to pay for US security.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's administration has indicated that it would not pay much more than the almost US$1 billion it agreed to in a one-year deal last year.

The tensions over funding come as the US military struggles to keep coronavirus outbreaks from disrupting operations in South Korea and elsewhere and the allies watch for fresh provocations from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

While the US and South Korea have been bargaining, North Korea has been busy testing new types of solid-fuel, nuclear-capable ballistic missiles designed to strike anywhere on the peninsula and evade US interceptors. It has fired nine last month alone, a record for a month.

Negotiators from the US and South Korea met in Los Angeles last month, but a wide gap remained between the two sides, according to a State Department spokesman who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.

Mr Trump has insisted that the US gets a raw deal from partners who host American troops around the world, and he has focused particular ire on the South Korean agreement.

Defence Secretary Mark Esper told his counterpart, Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, in February that "as a global economic powerhouse and an equal partner in the preservation of peace on the peninsula, South Korea can and should contribute more to its defence".

South Korea's National Assembly must sign off on any deal and Mr Trump's demands have brought about a rare moment of unity from progressives and conservatives in the country who see them as unreasonable.

With parliamentary elections set for April 15, siding with Washington could lead to defeat at the ballot box.

The negotiations in South Korea could affect other US allies hosting troops, such as Japan, with Mr Esper saying the Trump administration wants them to pay more too.

Japanese officials are watching the South Korea negotiations closely with the approach of talks set to begin later this year for a US-Japan cost-sharing deal.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 02, 2020, with the headline US, S. Korea near tentative troop funding deal. Subscribe