10th Round of USFK Cost Sharing Talks Leads to No New Deal
As I have been saying, I think these cost sharing talks are linked to the North Korean nuclear negotiations. If the Trump administration drops sanctions for little to nothing in return from North Korea, the Moon administration will likely give them the cost sharing deal they prefer:
Korea and the United States failed to strike an agreement on how much Seoul will pay to station American troops on the peninsula, a government official here said Friday. Senior diplomats from the allies held three-day talks in Seoul to set the amount of Seoul’s financial contributions for the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
Joong Ang Ilbo
It marked the 10th round of bargaining, as the current five-year accord expires at the end of this month.
The two sides remain divided over the total amount of Seoul’s financial contributions, a contract period and some other contentious issues, according to the official. “Again, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” he told reporters on condition of anonymity. “The two sides will continue consultations through diplomatic channels.” He ruled out the possibility of another round of formal talks within this month.
In case no deal is reached in the coming two weeks, he agreed, it’s expected to cause a problem when the USFK has to pay wages for Korean civilian workers. About a third of Seoul’s payment is used for the wages of around 8,000 workers.
You can read more at the link.
pull all US forces out now, the Koreans can defend themselves from now on.
Might as well leave and let SK go it alone. The UNC (US) cannot fuction without Korean workforce and lets not forget the SMA funds logistics support.
Moon’s intransigence is really annoying me. And not in an dull but feckless way like our trolls.
My in-laws are still in Korea and, although they have no connection to USFK, there are already signs the South Korean economy is stumbling. This “kerfluffle” might start the a 21st Century “run on the bank” as waygook businesses head for the door, toppling the post IMF house of cards the chaebols have built.
China is poised to be an aggressive stage 4 cancer to Korea’s economy, not a potential savior. They, like the norks, still use slave labor. The K-Pop kids might not have that figured out yet, despite widespread reporting. And slaves all get the same “pay”, so there’s your “income equality”…
https://apnews.com/99016849cddb4b99a048b863b52c28cb
Moon still assumes he’ll survive all this, poor deluded sap.
Can’t afford to pay for US protection because it will cut into all the money allocated to go north.