ROK Foreign Minister Says Big Gaps Remain in US-ROK Cost Sharing Negotiations

Here is the latest on the status of US-ROK cost sharing talks:

 Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday that South Korea and the United States still have “big” gaps in their negotiations over Seoul’s share of the cost for stationing American troops here despite a broadening of “mutual understanding.”

Her remarks came as the two countries are preparing for the seventh round of negotiations expected to take place in Seoul this month to determine Korea’s payments for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea under the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA). 

“Though gaps are still big, the two countries have deepened mutual understanding much more, and we are in a situation where we have to make an agreement based on that understanding,” Kang said in a press briefing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I don’t see this getting done before the April parliamentary elections in Korea. In whatever deal that is reached it is pretty clear that Korea is going to end up paying more and that won’t look good politically for the Moon administration. It makes sense for them to wait until after the April elections to make a deal.