This week, the United States and South Korea failed to reach an agreement on how to share the cost for U.S. troops deployed on the Korean Peninsula.
The two countries had failed to come to an agreement last December as well - ultimately settling on a one-year deal in February of this year where South Korea increased its contribution from around $800 million to nearly $1 billion.
In the current round of negotiations, the Trump administration has sought a 400% increase. A payment of $4.7 billion that would cover the entire cost of U.S. troop deployment and more.
The position of the U.S. government has elicited concerns both in South Korea and the United States. Long-time policy watchers have raised worries that this may weaken the alliance at a vital juncture in U.S. engagements in the region, or push South Korea to take radical steps to better protect itself against the North Korean threat, such as the acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Our guest today, former ROK Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, is one of the original architects of the burden-sharing agreement between the United States and the Republic of Korea. He is also a long-time policy practitioner who worked on U.S.-Korea relations. He joins us today to provide his view of relations between the two countries.
Here is the link to KEI's event on U.S. approach to defense burden-sharing: https://youtu.be/CH0jHNB5OwQ
And you can find KEI fellow Kyle Ferrier’s paper on the monetary value of Korea’s contributions to U.S. foreign policy here: http://www.keia.org/sites/default/files/publications/kei_monitoring_the_linchpin_191205.pdf
Talking Trilateral: U.S.-South Korea-Japan Relations
President Moon Jae-In Takes Office in Seoul
Addressing Continuity in South Korean Foreign Policy
North Korea Sanctions: The View from South Korea
[Rebroadcast] Examining the Korean Economy
South Korea's Growing Role in Myanmar
Korean American Day 2017: Chemical Engineer Dr. Kook-wha Koh
An American Executive in a Korean Chaebol
The Chinese Perspective on THAAD
Can Information Really Pry Open North Korea?
New Silk Road? Korea in China's One Belt, One Road Initiative
[Rebroadcast] The Kim Monarchy: Reframing Political Legitimacy in North Korea
Documenting Human Rights in North Korea
The Tearful Reunion Myth: Exploring Challenges Korean Adoptees Face While Searching for Their Birth Families
Using Information to Reduce the North Korean Threat
Korean American Day 2017: Exploring Space with Dr. David Oh
U.S. Forces Korea: The Big Move to Camp Humphreys
2017 on the Korean Peninsula
Will UN Sanctions Finally Stop North Korea?
How to Write About North Korea
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free