South Korea and the United States ended another round of negotiations Friday on determining Seoul’s share of the cost for stationing the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), an official said.

The three-day fifth round of the talks on renewing the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) took place in Seoul this week, as South Korea is seeking to strike an early deal to apparently avoid tough bargaining if former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Under Trump’s presidency, Washington had demanded more than a fivefold increase in Seoul’s payment to US$5 billion.

The current six-year SMA is due to expire at the end of next year.

“Based on our previous fourth round of talks, we had more focused and in-depth discussions on the main concerns of both sides,” a foreign ministry official said.

“Delegations from the United States and the Republic of Korea continued to review one another’s proposals as we work toward our common objective of a mutually acceptable agreement that supports our shared security,” Lind
a Specht, U.S. chief negotiator for the SMA talks, said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

The SMA committed South Korea to paying $1.03 billion for 2021, a 13.9 percent increase from 2019, and increasing the payment every year for the subsequent four years in line with the rise in Seoul’s defense spending.

Since 1991, Seoul has partially shared the cost for Korean USFK workers; the construction of military installations, such as barracks, as well as training, educational, operational and communications facilities; and other logistical support.

Source: Yonhap News Agency