Seoul | South Korea has agreed to increase its financial contribution to the US military presence in the country by 13.9%, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
The relationship between Seoul and Washington, two capitals united by a military alliance, has seen great turbulence in recent years, with President Donald Trump accusing South Korea of ​​not contributing enough to the US military presence on its soil, claiming billions of dollars.
Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea to protect the country from a possible North Korean attack.
Under the terms of the agreement, Seoul agreed to pay 1.180 billion won (870 billion euros) in 2021.
This is a 13.9% increase from the roughly $ 920 million Seoul paid under the previous deal, which expired in 2019.
However, it is far from reaching the initial demand of Donald Trump’s administration, which was $ 5 billion per year.
This new pact “reaffirms the need for a stable presence of American troops in Korea,” said the Foreign Ministry in Seoul in a statement.
He stressed that this agreement will put an end to a problem that had lasted for fifteen months.
It must now be approved by the South Korean National Assembly.
This announcement comes two days after the start of military maneuvers between the two countries but on a reduced scale due to the CoOVID-19 pandemic.
This 9th exercise could arouse the ire of North Korea, which has long seen these military exercises as preparations for an invasion.