On Friday, US Ambassador Harry Harris and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha signed the new cost-sharing agreement for US troops deployed in South Korea. The signing came at a formal ceremony.
The agreement replaces one which had previously expired in December. In
keeping with President Trump’s demands, the new version will see South
Korea pay a substantially higher portion of the overall cost of the
deployment.
Despite this being such a substantial ceremony, the deal isn’t actually
finalized yet. The South Korean parliament still has to vote on the
deal. This is expected to be done soon, though exact timelines are
unclear.
Historically, South Korea has paid a much larger portion of the cost of
the US presence than most other host countries. President Trump has been
pushing for substantial increases above the current levels, and even wants premiums above and beyond 100% of the costs.
South Korea, US Sign Deal on Increased Payment for US Troops
South Korean Parliament still has to approve deal
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
Join the Discussion!
We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.
For more details, please see our Comment Policy.
