U.S. negotiator arrives to seal deal on defense cost sharing with Seoul

Linda Sprecht arrived in Korea for the 12th Special Measures Agreement negotiations to determine the balance of cost sharing for the USFK deployment.

Linda Specht, the top U.S. negotiator for defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea, speaks to reporters upon arrival at Incheon International Airport on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Linda Specht, the top U.S. negotiator for talks on defense cost sharing with Korea, stressed that she will focus on the mutual support imbued in the two countries' alliance as she arrived in Seoul on Saturday to take part in the second round of negotiations this week.

The deputy assistant secretary for security agreements and foreign policy advisers from the U.S. State Department entered the country for a new round of talks to determine how much Seoul should pay for the upkeep of the 28,500 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel stationed on the peninsula.

“This is really about the importance of our alliance, our relationships as two countries and the support we give one another,” Specht told reporters after arriving at Incheon International Airport. “I'm looking forward to a good set of talks.”

Specht is scheduled to lead the second round of negotiations for the conclusion of the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) to be held in Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday with Lee Tae-woo, Korea's top negotiator, and officials from the State Department as well as Seoul’s Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and USFK in attendance.

Lee and Specht met during the first round of talks held in Honolulu, Hawaii, from April 23 to 25 and shared their sides’ basic positions.

The first meeting was held earlier than expected, in what was seen as a move to seal a new deal on defense cost sharing sooner to avoid the possible fallout from the reelection of former U.S. President Donald Trump in November.

Trump recently indicated in an interview that the United States could withdraw its troops stationed in Korea if Seoul does not pay more to support them, questioning why Washington has to defend “a very wealthy country.” As president, Trump consistently pressured Seoul to take on an exponentially higher amount in cost sharing.

"I want South Korea to treat us properly," Trump told Time magazine, referring to the 11th SMA talks during his presidency, claiming Seoul was "paying virtually nothing for 40,000 troops that we had there."

Trump has often inflated the number of soldiers stationed in the area and downplayed Seoul's contribution.

During the second meeting of the 12th SMA talks to be held the coming week, which come a month after the first round of talks, the negotiations are expected to begin in earnest with the two sides discussing issues such as the size of the contribution and the criteria behind the calculation.

Previously, the United States described Korea’s defense cost sharing as a “powerful investment” in the Seoul-Washington alliance, giving the impression that it is building up justification for an increase in Korea’s share of the upkeep of the deployment.

Seoul has said that the renegotiated balance should be at a “reasonable level” to guarantee the conditions for the “stable stationing of USFK and to strengthen the allies’ combined defense posture.”

Korea’s contribution for the upkeep of USFK troops is used mainly in three areas — labor costs, the construction of facilities within the USFK base and logistics support costs.

The 11th SMA, which Seoul and Washington signed in 2021, is effective until the end of next year. Korea's share of the defense costs set under the agreement was set at 1.18 trillion won ($871 billion), an increase of 13.9 percent from the previous deal.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]