S. Korea’s presidential office rules out possibility of steep hikes in U.S. defense costs from 2020
- 5 years ago
South Korea's presidential office has ruled out the possibility of sharply increasing the country's contribution toward the stationing of American soldiers on the peninsula.
Wednesday's statement came a matter of hours after U.S. President Donald Trump insisted Seoul stump up more cash for the U.S. troop presence in the years ahead.
Shin Se-min reports.
Not an "established fact," says South Korea's presidential office-- speaking on the new defense cost-sharing deal agreed by Seoul and Washington.
The Blue House spokesperson on Wednesday said the allies may agree to keep the deal at the current level after reviewing the need for an increase,... and that Seoul hopes Washington does NOT consider another hike as an "established fact," and also ruled out the possibility of sharply boosting Seoul's contribution toward the stationing of American troops on the peninsula.
He added that the allies set the duration of their agreement to one year,... but that the deadline can be extended by another twelve months if both sides agree-- apparently dismissing the possibility of an imminent increase.
And South Korea's top diplomat also weighed in on the issue.
"The amount we had agreed upon stands at 920 million U.S. dollars. We will have to look into the background of where President Trump pulled that figure from,... but we are sure of the contents the two sides have agreed."
Such an adamant dismissal comes only hours after remarks from the U.S. President Donald Trump,... claiming Korea had agreed to pay an additional 500 million U.S. dollars as part of its burden-sharing for the U.S. forces in Korea.
"They were paying about 500 million for 5 billion worth of protection. And we have to do better than that. So they've agreed to pay 500 million more. And over the years, it will start going up."
The agreement made by the two allies' diplomats shows that Seoul's share will go up to some 920 million dollars, or some 8-point-2 percent from the original 850 million dollars.
Despite such a clash over the interpretation of the defense agreement,… pressure from Washington on raising Seoul's share of the defense costs looks to continue,... with the U.S. President already claiming the need to raise the price tag even before this week's agreement comes into effect.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
Wednesday's statement came a matter of hours after U.S. President Donald Trump insisted Seoul stump up more cash for the U.S. troop presence in the years ahead.
Shin Se-min reports.
Not an "established fact," says South Korea's presidential office-- speaking on the new defense cost-sharing deal agreed by Seoul and Washington.
The Blue House spokesperson on Wednesday said the allies may agree to keep the deal at the current level after reviewing the need for an increase,... and that Seoul hopes Washington does NOT consider another hike as an "established fact," and also ruled out the possibility of sharply boosting Seoul's contribution toward the stationing of American troops on the peninsula.
He added that the allies set the duration of their agreement to one year,... but that the deadline can be extended by another twelve months if both sides agree-- apparently dismissing the possibility of an imminent increase.
And South Korea's top diplomat also weighed in on the issue.
"The amount we had agreed upon stands at 920 million U.S. dollars. We will have to look into the background of where President Trump pulled that figure from,... but we are sure of the contents the two sides have agreed."
Such an adamant dismissal comes only hours after remarks from the U.S. President Donald Trump,... claiming Korea had agreed to pay an additional 500 million U.S. dollars as part of its burden-sharing for the U.S. forces in Korea.
"They were paying about 500 million for 5 billion worth of protection. And we have to do better than that. So they've agreed to pay 500 million more. And over the years, it will start going up."
The agreement made by the two allies' diplomats shows that Seoul's share will go up to some 920 million dollars, or some 8-point-2 percent from the original 850 million dollars.
Despite such a clash over the interpretation of the defense agreement,… pressure from Washington on raising Seoul's share of the defense costs looks to continue,... with the U.S. President already claiming the need to raise the price tag even before this week's agreement comes into effect.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.