US “Six-Year Defense Expense Agreement…Korea Will Not Make Severe Requests for Our Alliance”

The US State Department announced on the 8th (local time) that the defense cost-sharing agreement agreed with South Korea is valid for six years. When the two sides announced the conclusion of the defense cost share negotiations the day before, they did not disclose details of the agreement, such as the rate of increase in defense cost and the validity period of the agreement.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a regular briefing that day, “Yesterday, the US and South Korean negotiators reached an agreement on the text of a new six-year Defense Cost Sharing Special Agreement (SMA).” “The new SMA will strengthen our alliance and common defense,” he added.

When asked by the reporter,’Do you think the demands and negotiations against Korea were less severe than the previous administration from the viewpoint of the Joe Biden administration?’, spokesman Price said, “Korea is our alliance.” “I don’t think the United States will ask for it in the context of a relationship with him.” “And what is obvious, I don’t think it will help strengthen the fundamental alliance.”

“We have negotiated sincerely and constructively,” Price said. “We will soon see that the negotiations benefit both sides.” It also said that the US and South Korea are taking the final steps necessary for signing and entering into force of the agreement.

Defense Ministry spokesman John Kirby also said that he expects the conclusion of the Korea-US defense cost sharing negotiations will strengthen the alliance and joint defense. “This agreement reaffirms the fact that the ROK-US alliance is a key axis (linchpin) for peace, security and stability in the free and open Indo-Pacific region and in Northeast Asia,” Kirby spokesperson met with reporters.

Earlier, the ROK and US negotiating teams announced that they reached a’principal agreement’ after negotiating for three days in Washington on the 7th. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited sources and reported that the ROK-US agreed to a six-year agreement, and that the agreement is valid for 2020-2025. Reuters reported that it was a “six-year agreement,” which the US State Department confirmed.

The ROK-US entered into negotiations for the SMA in September 2019, which will be applied in 2020, but fell into a deadlock when President Donald Trump insisted that the increase should be five times the existing one. Once the new agreement is concluded, it will be applied retroactively to the 2020 contribution.

Foreign Minister Eui-yong Eui-yong attended the National Assembly on the 18th of last month and said, “Last year (2020 contribution) was already frozen at the level of the previous year (2019).” Defense expenses in 2019 were 1.38.9 trillion won. In the last face-to-face negotiations held in March of last year, the two countries had tentatively agreed on a 13% increase.

Washington = Correspondent Park Hyun-young [email protected]