Jeong Eun-bo "Efforts to Quickly Settle by Resolving Key Issues in Defense Cost Negotiations"

Possibility of Final Agreement Announcement through US Secretary of State and Defense Visit to Korea This Month

Ambassador Jung Eun-bo departing for defense cost-sharing negotiations
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Jeong Eun-bo, the South Korea-US defense cost-sharing negotiation ambassador, expressed his determination to promptly conclude negotiations with the United States.

Ambassador Jeong arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the 4th (local time), one day before the South Korea-US Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations. While avoiding specific comments on the negotiations, he said, "There are issues, so I intend to resolve them as much as possible through face-to-face meetings."

He added, "We will strive to promptly reach a reasonable and fair negotiation outcome acceptable to both sides."

The negotiation teams from both South Korea and the US will hold the 9th meeting for the 11th SMA agreement the following day, on the 5th. This will be the first face-to-face SMA negotiation meeting since the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration.

The negotiations had been deadlocked last year under the large-scale increase pressure from the former Donald Trump administration, but since the launch of the Biden administration emphasizing alliance restoration, a deal is understood to be imminent.

If both sides succeed in reconciling differences in this negotiation, it is expected that Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin may visit South Korea later this month to announce the final agreement. It is known that both sides are coordinating for Secretaries Blinken and Austin to visit South Korea around the 17th.