[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, referred to Korea as a "rich country" and pressured our government to pay more for the defense cost-sharing of the U.S. Forces Korea.
According to U.S. media, Secretary Esper attended a Department of Defense briefing on the 14th (local time) and was asked about reports that Korea had proposed at least a 13% increase compared to last year. He stated, "Our view that Korea is a close and trusted ally remains unchanged, but they are a rich country. They can and should pay more to help with our mutual defense and their specific defense."
Esper's remarks on this day appear to be a repeated pressure for Korea to increase its contribution further, despite expectations that the Korea-U.S. defense cost-sharing agreement (SMA) would be finalized by the end of last month, which reportedly fell through due to opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Additionally, it is interpreted that the U.S. side is unlikely to back down in the current situation and suggests that negotiations could be prolonged amid the U.S. presidential election phase.
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