U.S. says ‘good progress’ made as allies end 7th round of defense cost-sharing talks

South Korea and the United States ended another round of their negotiations Thursday on determining Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), with the U.S. side stating that "good progress" was made toward an agreement. The three-day talks were the seventh of such negotiations to renew the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that is set to expire at the end of next year. "Delegations from the United States and the Republic of Korea made good progress toward an agreement that is fair and equitable," Linda Specht, the U.S. chief negotiator for the SMA talks, said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. The foreign ministry in Seoul said the two sides had "intensive and in-depth consultations to make substantive progress on key areas of mutual interest." The allies launched the latest negotiations in April as South Korea is seeking to strike an early deal to apparently avoid tough bargaining if former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House. Under Trum p's presidency, Washington had demanded more than a fivefold increase in Seoul's payment to US$5 billion. South Korea has called for an agreement that will set its share at "a reasonable level," and the U.S. has stressed the goal of reaching "a mutually acceptable" deal. The current six-year SMA committed South Korea to paying $1.03 billion for 2021, a 13.9 percent increase from 2019, and increasing the payment every year for the subsequent four years in line with the rise in Seoul's defense spending. Under the SMA, Seoul has since 1991 partially shared the cost for Korean USFK workers; the construction of military installations, such as barracks, as well as training, educational, operational and communications facilities; and other logistical support. Source: Yonhap News Agency