Foreign
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in Seoul on Friday that South Korea needed to pay more to support the presence of the U.S. military on its soil.
Esper, who spoke alongside his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong, however, called for a military agreement between South Korea and Japan to be renewed when it expires, amid tensions between the two East Asian U.S. allies.
According to him, South Korea is a wealthy country and can, and should, offset the cost of defence.
“It is crucial that we conclude the 11th SMA (Special Measures Agreement) with increased burden sharing by the Republic of Korea before the end of the year,’’ he said.
But he also stressed U.S. commitment to the defence of South Korea, terming the alliance ironclad.
Esper described the 2016 GSOMIA accord between Japan and South Korea as an important tool by which South Korea, the U.S. and Japan share effective information, particularly in times of war.
The only beneficiaries of its termination would be North Korea and China, he said.
Seoul has indicated it does not intend to renew GSOMIA, an important source of information for Washington on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
The U.S. has long called for its Asian allies to make greater contributions to the cost of stationing U.S. troops in the region.
According to media reports, Washington wants Seoul to contribute 5 billion dollars a year for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, around five times what it currently pays. (dpa/NAN)
– Nov. 15, 2019 @ 15:05 GMT |
Tags: ease tension with Japan US urges S. Korea to pay more for troops
