N. Korea claims U.S. exploits S. Korea’s security uneasiness for new defense cost deal

North Korea said Friday a new defense cost-sharing deal between South Korea and the United States is a product of Washington's "sinister" scheme to use the South's security uneasiness for the implementation of its strategy for world supremacy. Under the five-year agreement reached with the U.S. last week, South Korea will pay 1.52 trillion won (US$1.14 billion) in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won in 2025, for the upkeep of some 28,500 U.S. troops. The U.S. claimed it "fairly" set the cost sharing for the deal, but this reveals Washington's intention to keep using South Korea as a "shock brigade" in establishing the U.S.-led world order, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The conclusion of the negotiation shows that there can be no change in the basic attribute of the subordinating and unequal relations between the master and the servant, no matter how much the relations between the U.S. and the ROK are beautified with flattering words 'alliance,'" the report said, using the acronym of Sout h Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The agreement came amid speculation that South Korea was seeking an early deal to apparently avoid tough negotiations in case former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to office. Under Trump's presidency, the U.S. had demanded more than a fivefold hike in Seoul's payment to $5 billion. Source: Yonhap News Agency