"It is urgent to announce after National Assembly ratification"
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stated that regarding the possibility of the new Trump administration demanding a renegotiation of defense cost-sharing, "Even if there is a demand, it is advantageous to discuss based on the finalized negotiation results."
Minister Cho made these remarks on the 7th during the comprehensive policy questioning at the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. Earlier, South Korea and the United States signed the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing last month. The agreement set the 2026 contribution at 1.5192 trillion won, an 8.3% increase from the previous year, and decided to raise the contribution annually by reflecting the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase rate until 2030, when the agreement applies.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol is reporting the budget at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held at the National Assembly on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News
However, then-President-elect Donald Trump claimed during the election period that South Korea was paying almost nothing for the stationing costs of U.S. troops in Korea and stated that the amount should be raised to around 10 billion dollars annually.
Regarding this, Minister Cho evaluated, "I understand that this comment was not about the results of the 12th SMA negotiations but rather a remark made in the process of boasting about what he did during his previous administration." He added, "The most urgent matter in terms of legal stability is to quickly finalize the negotiations, have the National Assembly ratify them, and put them into effect," and said, "I understand it will be submitted to the National Assembly on the 13th."
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