청, NSC Standing Committee Meeting Held... "Reviewing Measures for Concluding South Korea-US Defense Cost-Sharing Negotiations"

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 20th, the Blue House held a Standing Committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong and announced that "measures to finalize the ongoing defense cost-sharing negotiations were reviewed."

In a press release that afternoon, the Blue House stated, "The standing committee members discussed ways to further strengthen the ROK-US alliance through the 'ROK-US Defense Ministers' Meeting' scheduled to be held in the United States on the 24th."

As the defense cost-sharing negotiations between South Korea and the United States, which have continued since last year, approach the final stage, the ROK-US Defense Ministers' Meeting is scheduled to take place next week in Washington, D.C. Since the U.S. State Department has officially declared that defense cost-sharing will be a major agenda item, last-minute discussions to reach an agreement are expected. In this regard, if the agreement is delayed, there is talk of implementing unpaid leave for Korean workers employed by the U.S. Forces Korea starting April 1.

Additionally, the Blue House announced, "The standing committee members reviewed the seriousness of the domestic and international situations related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the trends in the international community, and examined the South Korean government's future response measures."

Furthermore, "The standing committee members reviewed recent consultation trends between South Korea and Japan aimed at resolving pending issues and discussed future response measures," the Blue House stated.