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.
Fools.
South Korea is weak, punk weak, sissy weak. Many in the South collaborated with the Japanese occupiers just as they now collaborate with American imperialists.
I’m glad to hear that if you were the citizen of an occupied small nation surrounded by much larger countries militarily and economically, that you’d fight your oppressors out in the streets.
Moon is trying to help his country plus the thaw with the DPRK. The troops in S. Korea to “protect them” against the North are not needed, but the USA wants them to remain and give continuing power to the USA. Get them out and pay nothing .
The Korean people pay the highest price, having their country turned into a toxic shooting range full of rapacious Yankee hoodlums in uniform.
This only makes sense to the “antiwar because it empire costs US money” line of thinking. Trump ran on this – he didn’t say NATO is outdated and dangerous, he simply said that our allies aren’t paying their fair share – with the obvious corollary that if our allies pay their fair share, Trump has no objection to NATO.
You shouldn’t like where this is headed because once the uber-capitalists start figuring out how the federal gov’t can make money off an international military protection racket…