Korean Peninsula: South Korea, U.S. to hold talks on sharing military costs

South Korea and the United States are to hold the second round of talks on sharing costs for maintaining U.S. military presence in the south of the Korean Peninsula from April 11 to April 12, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

On March 7 to 9, Seoul and Washington met in Honolulu, Hawaii for the first round of the negotiations on cost-sharing for the upkeep of some 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

“South Korean government will make every effort to achieve rational and mutually acceptable negotiations, which would create stable conditions for U.S. military presence in Korea.

“It will strengthen joint defence and alliance with the United States as well as convince our parliament and people,’’ the ministry said in its statement.

Since 1991, South Korea shares costs of U.S. military presence on its territory under the Special Measures Agreement paying Washington close to one billion dollars annually.

The agreement, signed every four years, expires in late December, and the parties are negotiating its renewal.

Washington is currently demanding Seoul to increase its financial offset.

In 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump said that U.S. allies had to pay their “fair share” of the U.S. military aid’s costs.