Published : Aug. 20, 2018 - 15:09
South Korea said Monday it will hold another round of negotiations with the United States this week on sharing the cost of American troops stationed on the peninsula.
The two-day session, the sixth of its kind this year, will take place in Seoul from Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It comes amid Washington's call for Seoul to sharply increase its share of the cost of stationing the US Forces Korea and "operational support" from American forces outside the peninsula.
(Yonhap)
Operational support includes the deployment of so-called strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and nuclear submarines to counter North Korea's military threats.
South Korea has shared the financial burden for USFK, currently composed of around 28,500 service members, since the early 1990s under the Special Measures Agreement.
The existing SMA deal is to expire at the end of this year.
Seoul's share increased to around 960 billion won ($856 million) in 2018 under the latest five-year accord from 150 billion won in 1991, government data showed.
The allies opened negotiations on new terms in Honolulu in March.(Yonhap)