US & ROK Officials Move Forward with Trying to Complete Cost Sharing Agreement Before a Possible Trump Presidency
I sure hope the US negotiators are using a possible Trump presidency as leverage during these negotiations:
A U.S. delegation for defense cost sharing talks with South Korea arrives at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul to hold a three-day fourth round of negotiations on June 25, 2024. (Yonhap)
Seoul and Washington launched the negotiations in April to renew the cost-sharing deal, known as the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), amid the view that South Korea is seeking an early deal to avoid tough bargaining in case 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, due to expire at the end of next year, 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.
South Korea has said it seeks to have negotiations based on the position that its share should come at a “reasonable level,” to create an environment for the stable stationing of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and to strengthen the allies’ combined defense posture.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Korea trying to continue to get by on the cheap. Currently a ROK soldier servers less time defending Korea (18 month conscription) than many US military members assigned to Korea (24 month assignment). Something is wrong with that picture.
This is a dumb move by Yoon administration. Whatever the agreement comes out of this, won’t matter soon after Trump comes to power. He will try to double-dip on Korean coffers, just like in the past. Trump will just rip up the agreement and will say this agreement is a rip-off, and he will demand a far bigger raise. Trump’s new number will be added from the already negotiated number. And Yoon doesn’t have the fortitude to stand up to the bully. If I was the Korean president, I would hand Trump the same treatment as he does to others. I would demand the USFK pay for their stay in South Korea. US having a base in Korea is to protect the US hegemony in Asia, against China. Why should South Korean taxpayers pay the US to have South Korea protect the US interests? The US should pay. And if Trump wants to pull the USFK, then let him do so.
Since Trump likes deals, a smart Korean President will cut a deal with Trump where the US provides South Korea with nuclear weapons and submarines in exchange for South Korea’s consent in withdrawing USFK from Korea.
But we all know that the current Korean President is, for a lack of a better word, dumb.