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South Korea Agrees to Pay 13.9% More to Maintain US Troops, Report Says

© US Air ForceAirmen of the 388th and the 419th Fighter Wings from Hill Air Force Base, Utah prepare to board an aircraft for deployment to Osan Air Force Base, South Korea, Jan. 11, 2014. The 388th and 419th airmen will deploy as part of a Theater Security Package (TSP) to assist with supporting and defending the South Korean border with North Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Justyn M. Freeman/Released)
Airmen of the 388th and the 419th Fighter Wings from Hill Air Force Base, Utah prepare to board an aircraft for deployment to Osan Air Force Base, South Korea, Jan. 11, 2014. The 388th and 419th airmen will deploy as part of a Theater Security Package (TSP) to assist with supporting and defending the South Korean border with North Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Justyn M. Freeman/Released) - Sputnik International, 1920, 10.03.2021
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - South Korea has agreed to increase its share of payments for the upkeep of the US military stationed in the country by 13.9 percent this year compared to 2019 as part of their cost-sharing Special Measures Agreement (SMA), the Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

Washington and Seoul have been negotiating the extension of their cost-sharing deal for over a year, as the US demanded that South Korea increase its payment from $870 million under the previous agreement to $5 billion under the new SMA. The last SMA expired in late 2019, leaving the US troops stationed in the Asian country without a funding scheme.

Banners to support the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. are displayed near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.03.2021
Asia
South Korea to Increase Contribution to Cost of US Troop Presence Under New Deal, State Dept Says
According to the new deal that will be in force until 2025, the Asian country will pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.03 billion) this year, up from 1.038 trillion won in 2019, marking the first double-digit increase since 2002, the news agency reported.

Additionally, South Korea's SMA payments from 2022 to 2025 will be linked to the increased rates of Seoul's defence spending, with next year's payment increasing by 5.4 percent from this year's costs.

The sides also developed an SMA rule that enables the former to provide its share of the cost for them at a level set in the previous year in a bid to prevent South Korean employees of United States Forces Korea (USFK) from being furloughed again over the absence of a funding scheme.

© AFP 2023 / KIM JAE-HWANUS and South Korean marines carrying out drills. File photo.
South Korea Agrees to Pay 13.9% More to Maintain US Troops, Report Says - Sputnik International, 1920, 10.03.2021
US and South Korean marines carrying out drills. File photo.

More than 4,000 South Korean USFK workers were placed on unpaid leave on 1 April  amid the coronavirus pandemic and the failure of Seoul and Washington to reach a consensus on a long-standing disagreement over who should pay how much for the upkeep of 28,500-strong USFK.

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