The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today that the two sides have reached a final consensus on the sharing of defense costs between South Korea and the United States, reaching a six-year “Special Measures Agreement” and stating that the South Korean burden of defense costs will increase to 13.9 percent, or $1.03 billion, in 2021. The two sides have agreed to a six-year “Special Measures Agreement” and said that the South Korean-U.S. defense burden will increase to 13.9 percent in 2021, or $1.03 billion, the largest annual increase in nearly 20 years.
According to Reuters, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the agreement resolves a window of nearly one year and three months,” while also reaffirming the importance of the alliance and providing stability for the needs of U.S. forces in South Korea, and that the “Special Measures Agreement This “special measures agreement” is valid until 2025, and the annual apportionment of defense costs must be in line with the increase in South Korea’s defense budget, which increased by 5.4 percent this year.
Reuters noted that although this agreement will replace the old one that expired in 2019, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed that the apportionment for 2020 will remain the same as in 2019, at about $920 million a year. On the defense budget and maintaining the apportionment of defense costs for U.S. forces in South Korea, the South Korean Defense Ministry argued that the increase in the defense budget reflects economic and security capabilities and is a reasonable and clear standard.
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