Ministry of National Defense Briefing Refusing Questions: "Deep Regret Over Unpaid Leave"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Ministry of National Defense expressed "deep regret that unpaid leave has been implemented starting today."

Choi Hyun-soo, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, stated on the 1st, "We will enact a special law to support Korean workers employed by the US Forces Korea who have entered unpaid leave," adding, "We plan to promptly enact the special law through close consultation with the National Assembly and promote measures to support the workers' livelihoods using our government budget."

The briefing was conducted in a presentation format without taking questions. During this briefing, Spokesperson Choi said, "We extend our condolences to the Korean workers of the US Forces Korea and their families," emphasizing, "Until the special law is enacted, we will strive to devise various measures such as emergency living fund loan support through consultations among relevant ministries."

He explained, "Our government has proposed and negotiated with the US side various measures, including prioritizing the execution of the personnel budget, based on the recognition that unpaid leave for Korean workers of the US Forces Korea does not help maintain the combined defense posture."

Spokesperson Choi added, "The Ministry of National Defense will continue to maintain a close cooperative system with the US Department of Defense and the US Forces Korea to ensure that this situation does not affect the combined defense posture."

Due to delays in the conclusion of the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between Korea and the US, it is estimated that about 4,000 of the approximately 8,600 Korean workers employed by the US Forces Korea have entered unpaid leave starting today.

Meanwhile, Korean and US working-level officials have reportedly agreed to extend the negotiation cycle from one year to five years and significantly reduce the increase in the amount from the previous $4 billion.

The negotiations reportedly accelerated from last weekend following a phone call between the Korean and US presidents on the 24th of last month regarding the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). President Moon Jae-in responded that he would provide maximum support for medical equipment requested by US President Donald Trump, forming a consensus on Korea-US cooperation at the presidential level. The diplomatic community observed that reaffirming the Korea-US alliance relationship at the presidential level positively influenced the defense cost-sharing negotiations.

The US side initially demanded an unreasonable $5 billion contribution, which is six times the amount of last year's contribution. The US side later lowered the demand to about $4 billion, but this time it appears to have significantly reduced the amount to a realistic level. It is also reported that the negotiation cycle was agreed to be extended from the existing 'one year' to 'five years,' leading to an analysis that the Korean government's opinions were largely reflected overall.