US, South Korea fail to reach deal on military cost-sharing

The United States and South Korea have failed to reach a new agreement on sharing the cost of maintaining a US military presence in the country following multiple rounds of negotiations.

American and South Korean officials made the announcement on Friday, after holding three-day talks in Seoul to hammer out an accord to replace a 2014 deal due to expire this year.

Senior officials from both sides said they were unable to agree on a final arrangement despite 10 rounds of negotiations since March after the administration of US President Donald Trump repeated demands of a sharp increase in Seoul’s defense contributions for maintaining some 28,500 US troops on the peninsula.

Washington has demanded that its ally increase its contribution to as much as double the current amount of $850 million, or more than $1 billion per year, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.

“We’ve come to agreement on almost all elements but could not make it final because of differences on the total scale of the deal,” a senior South Korean official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement that it was seeking a “swift conclusion” to the negotiations “to mitigate a possible lapse in contributions” from South Korea.

“Due to the ongoing consultative talks between US and Republic of Korea (ROK) delegations, we are unable to speculate on potential outcomes,” the statement added.

Reports said about 70 percent of South Korea’s contribution covered the salaries of some 8,700 employees who provide technical and other assistance to the US military.

Last month, the USFK warned South Korean employees that some of them might have to go on unpaid leave from mid-April if a deal could not be reached.

The USFK said in its Friday statement that it would ensure South Korean employees “have adequate time to prepare for any potential furlough.”

A spokesman for the South Korean foreign ministry also announced the government was working to make sure those staffers were unaffected by the negotiations.

“We are making efforts to minimize any negative impact that may have on the employees,” the official told Reuters.

The United States has stationed some 28,500 American troops in South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Washington has scaled back military exercises in South Korea over the past year as part of efforts to expedite talks aimed at the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

PressTV-‘US, South Korea to reduce scope of joint drill next year’

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the US and South Korea will reduce the scope of a joint military exercise next year.

Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang for a denuclearization deal have appeared to have stalled.

The US seeks the complete and irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear program. Pyongyang is demanding a solid guarantee of its security and the removal of Washington’s nuclear umbrella protecting allies South Korea and Japan.

North Korean authorities have complained about continued US and UN sanctions, calling them a “source of mistrust.” They have also denounced what they have called the US “gangster-like behavior."

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