Biden’s government negotiates the first Korean-US defense costs… Consensus of “Agreement as soon as possible”

Ambassador Chung Eun-bo is taking part in the 8th meeting to sign the 11th Special Agreement on Defense Cost Sharing (SMA) held on the 5th. [사진 외교부]

The South Korean government agreed to negotiate the first defense cost negotiations with the new US administration, Joe Biden, and settle it as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 5th that it had held the 8th meeting to sign the 11th Korea-US Special Agreement on Distribution of Defense Costs (SMA) via video. Officials from the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the United States Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the United States Forces Korea Command participated in the meeting, including Ambassador Chung Eun-bo, US Defense Cost Sharing Negotiator, and Donna Welton, US State Department’s Defense Cost Sharing Negotiation Representative (Senior Adviser of the Political and Military Bureau).

Based on the spirit of the alliance, the ROK-U.S. and the ROK held a sincere discussion to resolve disagreements and to reach mutually acceptable agreements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

In addition, by concluding negotiations as soon as possible, it has decided to contribute to strengthening the ROK-US alliance and the combined defense posture as a key axis of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. The next meeting will be held in the near future, and the specific schedule will be discussed through diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, the meeting took place 11 months after the 7th meeting held in Los Angeles, USA in March last year. Both sides checked the status of the negotiations through video on November 30 last year after the election of President Joe Biden, but it was not an official meeting.

In March of last year, the US and Korea tentatively agreed on a plan to increase the contribution in 2020 by about 13% from the contribution in 2019 (1.389 trillion won). However, a final agreement could not be reached due to the rejection of the then-president Donald Trump.

Reporter Go Seok-hyun [email protected]