Jung Kyung-doo: "The 13% Increase in Defense Cost-Sharing Is Not True"

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is delivering opening remarks at the 2019 Year-End All-Army Senior Commanders Meeting held on the 4th at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]Jeong Kyeong-doo, Minister of National Defense, said on the 29th regarding the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations on the Korea-US defense cost-sharing, "The media reported a 13% increase rate, but that is not an accurate figure."

Minister Jeong appeared at the National Assembly National Defense Committee plenary session that day and responded to a related question from Hong Young-pyo of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "We have made considerable efforts during the negotiation process."

He added, "The importance of the Korea-US alliance is significant, and the US Forces Korea greatly contribute to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asia region," and said, "We are making great efforts to reach a mutually beneficial agreement between the allied countries."

Minister Jeong also explained regarding the Special Act for Living Stability Support for Korean workers in the US Forces Korea who were effectively placed on unpaid leave during the defense cost-sharing negotiations, "The US side is aware of the matters Korea is handling," adding, "However, they expressed some concerns about payments being made as salaries. Since paying as salaries would mean finding other jobs, we are planning to proceed in the form of livelihood support funds."

Earlier, Ahn Kyu-baek, Chairman of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, said in a radio interview on the 27th, "The increase rate is more than 13%," and added, "Our government raised it by 8.2% last year, and if this year's increase rate is between 13 and 14%, that makes 22% over two years," stating, "This is an unprecedented measure within our fiscal scope."

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