Jung Kyung-doo and Esper Discuss 'Defense Cost-Sharing Negotiations'... Minister Jung Requests Priority Payment of Korean Workers' Labor Costs

Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Requests First, Reiterates Existing Position... "Must Be Decided at a Mutually Agreed and Fair Level"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du spoke with U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and reportedly requested that the U.S. government prioritize partial payment of wages for Korean workers.

According to a Defense Ministry official, during a 20-minute phone call starting at 8:30 p.m. the previous day at Esper's request, Minister Jeong asked the U.S. government to accept a plan to prioritize partial payment of wages for Korean workers employed by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) even before the conclusion of the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the U.S.

The USFK has enforced unpaid leave starting from the 1st for about 4,000 of the 8,600 Korean workers.

The Defense Ministry did not comment separately on Esper’s reaction. A ministry official stated, "Both defense ministers agreed that the SMA negotiations should be decided at a mutually agreeable and fair level, and that they must work together for a prompt agreement."

It appears that the phone call only confirmed the differences in positions between the two sides. On the 2nd (local time), Secretary Esper tweeted, "I appreciate Minister Jeong taking my call to discuss the importance of fair defense cost-sharing across the alliance," emphasizing, "It is very important to quickly sign a fair and balanced comprehensive agreement."

As the negotiations, which had raised expectations for a conclusion on the 1st, have stalled without crossing the final hurdle, the unpaid leave for Korean workers at USFK has entered its seventh day. The government is coordinating with related ministries on measures to support Korean workers through special legislation.

Meanwhile, this call between the South Korean and U.S. defense ministers took place four days after General Robert Abrams, commander of USFK, retweeted a photo with the phrase "drinking kimchi soup" on his Twitter on the 2nd. The tweet appeared shortly after prospects for a defense cost-sharing agreement were raised, leading to speculation that it was aimed at criticizing the South Korean government's stance.

In response, USFK explained that there was no ill intent, but as controversy arose, some interpreted that Secretary Esper requested the call first to defuse the situation.

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