Korean Authorities Say that New USFK Cost Sharing Deal to Be Quickly Reached
As expected, it appears the Biden administration is going to fast track a new cost sharing agreement with South Korea:
The United States is committed to quickly reaching a defense cost-sharing agreement with South Korea that will be acceptable to both and help strengthen their alliance, an official from the U.S. Department of State said Friday.
Korea Times
The remarks came after Seoul officials said the sides agreed to seek an early conclusion to talks on Seoul’s share of the cost in maintaining 28,500 U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula in a meeting held Friday (KST).
“We decline to comment on or confirm any specific details of our ongoing diplomatic conversations, but I can tell you that U.S. and ROK negotiators agreed to continue negotiations in the near future and are committed to expeditiously concluding an updated Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that will strengthen our alliance and our combined defense posture,” the department official told Yonhap News Agency in an emailed response to related questions.
You can read more at the link, but getting a new cost sharing agreement signed should be an easy win for the Biden administration.
The “win” part is the key here. How much more will it cost each country for USFK? Because both will end up paying more. Count on it.