[Asia Economy Reporters Lim Cheol-young and Son Sun-hee] As the final agreement on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the United States is delayed, a senior government official's 'loose talk' has become a subject of controversy. Initially, expectations were high as it was reported that the two countries had significantly narrowed their differences during working-level negotiations. However, during this process, a senior government official inadvertently disclosed some details of the agreement, causing an embarrassing incident. Since this occurred before the final decision and official announcement by the heads of state of both countries, it could be perceived as a unilateral media play by the South Korean government. Critics suggest that the senior official's premature remarks may have become an obstacle in the final stages of the negotiations.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 3rd, although Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a phone call regarding the provisional working-level agreement reached by the South Korea-U.S. negotiation team, they failed to cross the final hurdle to conclude the deal. This has rendered the recent expectations for an early agreement within and outside the government meaningless.
On the 31st of last month, Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator for the defense cost-sharing talks, stated, "We expect the final agreement to be reached soon." In this context, a senior government official reportedly mentioned in a private setting that the SMA's validity period would be a "five-year contract," unlike last year's one-year term, indicating that the announcement of the agreement was imminent.
However, no official announcement was made by either government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a text message the previous afternoon stating, "Although consultations continued at the senior level, no agreement has been reached yet." The Blue House also held a Standing Committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong on the same afternoon, announcing that they "reviewed the status of the defense cost-sharing negotiations and decided to continue efforts for an early conclusion."
The U.S. side holds the same position. On the 2nd (local time), Clark Cooper, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, hinted during a virtual press briefing that discussions among Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Secretary Pompeo, and the heads of state of both countries are ongoing, stating, "I can assure you that the negotiations have continued and are definitely not over." This is interpreted as expressing displeasure toward the South Korean government's premature mention of the possibility of an agreement.
Meanwhile, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Robert Abrams drew attention by retweeting a photo on his Twitter containing the phrase "drinking kimchi soup" (a Korean idiom meaning counting one's chickens before they hatch). Commander Abrams retweeted the photo along with the comment, "Today I learned that the saying 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch' has the same meaning as 'Don't drink kimchi soup'." This can be interpreted as a sharp rebuke aimed at government officials who prematurely mentioned the agreement before the final deal was reached.
Earlier, NBC News cited two officials reporting that on the morning of the 31st of last month (U.S. Eastern Time), Secretary of State Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper visited the White House to prevent the unpaid leave situation of South Korean workers employed by the U.S. Forces Korea. It is analyzed that although the two secretaries brought the provisional agreement to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, they did not receive his approval.
The previously agreed increase in defense cost-sharing at the working level was reportedly a "gradual increase of 10-20% over the next five years." The problem is that this incident only confirmed the U.S. government's firm refusal of the proposed increase. It is also possible that the premature expectations of an "imminent final agreement" could affect the framework of the negotiations.
As the outlook for the defense cost-sharing negotiations becomes uncertain again, concerns about the livelihoods of South Korean workers employed by the U.S. Forces Korea are growing. The unprecedented unpaid leave situation for these workers, which began on the 1st, is likely to continue for some time. Approximately 4,000 of the 8,600 South Korean workers employed by the U.S. Forces Korea?nearly half?have entered unpaid leave.
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