Senior US Senate Democrat Urges "Reconsideration of US Position" in South Korea-US Defense Cost-Sharing Talks

Letter Sent to U.S. State and Defense Departments Expressing Concern Over Delay in Defense Cost-Sharing Negotiations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Senior Democratic senators in the U.S. Senate have expressed concerns over the gap in the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the U.S. and urged reconsideration of the U.S. position.

Senators Bob Menendez and Jack Reed, ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Armed Services Committee respectively, sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on the 28th (local time), reported Voice of America (VOA). The letter stated that a month has passed since the previous SMA expired, but no solution has been found, increasing diplomatic and military risks on the Korean Peninsula.

The two senators pointed out the prolonged gap in the agreement, stating, "The U.S. government is expected to begin furloughing thousands of Korean workers employed at U.S. military bases in South Korea."

Furthermore, they urged reconsideration of the U.S. stance in the six rounds of defense cost-sharing negotiations. While agreeing on the need for fair defense cost-sharing, the senators emphasized that the Trump administration's fixed mindset on cost-sharing causes a fundamental misunderstanding of the alliance with South Korea and the strategic importance of the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region. In their letter, they argued, "The current U.S. position in defense cost-sharing negotiations with South Korea violates key principles and weakens the U.S. commitment to South Korea," adding that it "almost guarantees failure."

The South Korea-U.S. delegations have held six shuttle negotiations so far to reach the 11th agreement but have failed to find common ground. The U.S. delegation, led by James DeHart, the State Department's chief negotiator for defense cost-sharing, insists on increasing the total amount by adding new cost-sharing items. Meanwhile, the South Korean delegation is reportedly engaged in a tense tug-of-war over maintaining the existing SMA framework while extending the negotiation cycle to 3-5 years.

Defense cost-sharing negotiator Jeong Eun-bo, speaking to reporters around the negotiations held on the 14th and 15th, indicated progress toward a settlement but acknowledged "there are still differences," reflecting the ongoing situation. The U.S. side is demanding the establishment of a so-called 'readiness' category, including costs for off-site training and rotational deployment of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea.

Meanwhile, South Korea and the U.S. are reportedly preparing final negotiations aiming to conclude the SMA talks within February. Bloomberg News reported on the 23rd that the U.S. has warned that if the SMA is not finalized, it will notify approximately 9,000 Korean workers employed at U.S. military bases in South Korea of unpaid furloughs within weeks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.