13-Month Gap in Defense Cost-Sharing Agreement... ROK-US Discuss Advance Payment of Wages for Korean Workers at USFK

Concerns Over Recurrence of Unpaid Leave Last Year... Employment Stability Measures for Korean Workers of USFK

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Amid the deadlock in the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the United States, it has been confirmed that an additional plan to prepay the wages of Korean workers employed by the US Forces Korea is being discussed. This is interpreted as a measure to ensure the employment stability of workers until the negotiations are finalized, following an agreement on a prepayment plan reached last June.

On the 4th, a Ministry of National Defense official explained, "South Korea and the United States are discussing a plan to pay the wages of Korean workers in advance this year, regardless of the main SMA negotiations," adding, "The discussions are progressing in the direction of our government making the prepayment."

South Korea and the United States had agreed on a plan for the Korean government to prepay wages by the end of last year to prevent a prolonged unpaid leave situation for Korean workers employed by the US Forces Korea, which arose after the agreement proposed by the joint negotiation team was rejected by then-US President Donald Trump. The amount involved is approximately 200 billion KRW.

The current discussions between South Korea and the US focus on extending the previously agreed prepayment plan. Since the final agreement is expected to take at least several months following the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration, the unpaid leave situation could recur at any time.

In diplomatic circles, it is anticipated that, unlike President Trump, President Joe Biden is emphasizing a foreign policy that strengthens traditional alliances, so the negotiations are expected to be settled at the level proposed by South Korea.

A government official stated, "The South Korean government will continue negotiations based on the principle of reasonable and fair cost-sharing to reach a swift agreement."

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