Willingness to Conclude Defense Cost-Sharing Negotiations Within This Year

US and South Korea Conclude 8th Meeting for Agreement Finalization

South Korea and the United States are accelerating the defense cost-sharing agreement. They are determined to conclude the agreement within this year in preparation for the possible inauguration of the second Trump administration.

According to government officials on the 27th, the 8th meeting of the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the U.S., which determines the defense cost-sharing amount South Korea will pay for the U.S. Forces Korea after 2026, was held in Seoul from the 25th to the 27th.

Since the first meeting held in Hawaii from April 23 to 25, South Korea and the U.S. have been holding meetings once or twice a month. With the U.S. presidential election in November approaching, attention is focused on how close the two countries have come to a conclusion as they speed up negotiations.

Recently, CNN cited four current and former U.S. officials, reporting that both countries feel an urgency to conclude a new agreement in preparation for the possible inauguration of the second Trump administration, and predicted that "South Korea and the U.S. may conclude the defense cost-sharing agreement before the end of this year."

Earlier, after the 7th meeting, the U.S. side stated in a press release that "good progress has been made," suggesting that both sides have narrowed some differences. The SMA is an agreement that stipulates the amount South Korea will bear for the stationing costs of U.S. Forces Korea. South Korea's contribution is used for three items: ▲ personnel costs (wages for Korean employees of U.S. Forces Korea) ▲ military construction costs (support for facility construction) ▲ logistics support costs (services and material support).

The 11th SMA, concluded by South Korea and the U.S. in 2021, is valid until the end of 2025. According to the 11th SMA, the defense cost-sharing amount for 2021 was 1.1833 trillion won, a 13.9% increase from the previous year. The contribution will be increased in line with South Korea's defense budget growth rate until 2025.