Seoul Agrees To Pay For US Troops Stationed in South Korea

The US and South Korea will sign an agreement on sharing the cost of stationing U.S. troops in the Asian country. The US and South Korea are committed to resolving any difference over the ‘trivial’ matter.

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“The United States and the Republic of Korea have reached an agreement in principle on a new Special Measures Agreement,” a spokesperson said. The State Department official said that with the modified agreement, South Korea will be able to strengthen its financial contribution by approximately 1 billion dollars.

Trump emphasised, “South Korea, where the United States has stationed soldiers since the 1950-53 Korean War, should bear more of the cost”.

The US seems to have accepted South Korea’s proposal for rendering 1 billion dollars. The agreement is valid for a year as against the previous five-year deal. The compromise in the deal is seen as an effort by the US to concentrate on North Korean diplomacy.

The delegates from South Korea have said that Seoul is willing to make the agreement valid for minimum three years. South Korea’s senior legislator said that agreement was stagnant after the United States made a sudden demand that South Korea must pay 1.4 trillion per year.

The salaries of nearly 8,700 South Korean employees working for the U.S. military administrative services covers 70 per cent of Seoul’s contribution. US President Trump discontinued a joint exercise with South Korea on the pretext of huge expenditure with which US accounts feel burdened. However, the cut in joint exercises was defined as the US motive to bring down North Korea’s nuclear programs.