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November 22, 2008
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| Korea has reached an agreement with the United States on how to share the cost of operating the U.S. military bases here for the next five years, according to government officials. Senior government and military officials from the two countries convened in Hawaii this week for the fifth round of talks to decide on the details of the arrangement. They indicated Seoul is expected to increase its financial contribution by the same proportion as the local inflation rate for each year until 2013. “Raising the contribution by only the inflationary rate means our contribution will actually remain at the same level over the years,” said a Korean Foreign Ministry official who asked not to be named. Seoul, which has long shared the cost of keeping the U.S. military in the country, this year paid about 741.5 billion won ($492.6 million), about 42 percent of the total cost for the year. Based on the new agreement, Seoul’s contribution for next year is likely to reach about 760 billion, as last year’s inflation rate was 2.5 percent. The amount for the following years will be readjusted to reflect the most recent inflation rate statistics in the government budget. “We can’t rule out the possibility of another round of talks, but what we will need is probably some coordination to iron out the details,” said the official. The two countries are expected to sign the agreement by the end of this year. Korea’s ambassador to the talks, Cho Byung-je, attended this week’s negotiations and ironed out the deal with his counterpart Jackson McDonald, senior adviser for security negotiations at the U.S. State Department. About 28,500 U.S. servicemen are currently stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War against North Korea. Seoul has shared the cost to have the U.S. troops stationed here since 1991. By Jung Ha-won Staff Reporter [hawon@joongang.co.kr] |
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