Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Early Resolution Expected in South Korea-US Defense Cost-Sharing Negotiations"

Jung Eun-bo, South Korea-US defense cost-sharing negotiation ambassador, conducting the 8th meeting.
Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 5th that it held a meeting via video conference to conclude the 11th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between Korea and the United States.

The video conference included Jung Eun-bo, Korea-U.S. defense cost-sharing negotiation ambassador, and Donna Welton, U.S. Department of State defense cost-sharing negotiation representative (Senior Advisor for Political-Military Affairs). On the Korean side, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense participated, while on the U.S. side, representatives from the Department of State, Department of Defense, and U.S. Forces Korea took part.

This meeting, held for the first time since the inauguration of the Biden administration, involved serious discussions based on the spirit of alliance to resolve ongoing disagreements and reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Both sides agreed to contribute to strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance and combined defense posture, which serve as the linchpin of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, by concluding the Korea-U.S. defense cost-sharing negotiations as soon as possible." It added, "The next meeting will be held in the near future, with specific schedules to be coordinated through diplomatic channels."

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