{"id":50716,"date":"2019-11-15T14:50:52","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T14:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/15\/esper-says-south-korea-which-paid-90-percent-of-costs-for-camp-humphreys-needs-to-increase-burden-sharing-to-keep-us-troops-in-south-korea\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:08:11","slug":"esper-says-south-korea-which-paid-90-percent-of-costs-for-camp-humphreys-needs-to-increase-burden-sharing-to-keep-us-troops-in-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/11\/15\/esper-says-south-korea-which-paid-90-percent-of-costs-for-camp-humphreys-needs-to-increase-burden-sharing-to-keep-us-troops-in-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper says South Korea, which paid 90 percent of costs for Camp Humphreys, needs to increase \u2018burden-sharing\u2019 to keep US troops in South Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is turning up the heat on South Korea<\/a> to increase how much it is contributing in host-nation support, a move that comes after South Korea already boosted its financial contribution in host-nation support earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper, who is in Seoul, said Friday that South Korea \u201cis a wealthy country and could and should pay more to help offset the cost of defense.\u201d There are more than 28,000 U.S. troops<\/a> based in South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is crucial that we conclude the (defense pact) … with increased burden-sharing by the Republic of Korea before the end of the year,\u201d Esper said during a news conference, per Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea has contributed to major U.S. projects in its country like Camp Humphreys<\/a>, the largest U.S. base overseas that\u2019s been built up over the last decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then-Commander of United States Forces Korea Army Gen. Vincent Brooks said in 2018 that the project cost almost $10.8 billion and that South Korea paid approximately 90 percent of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor that 90 percent, the United States remains with you 100 percent,\u201d Brooks said in June 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
At nearly $11 billion, Camp Humphreys is a “slice of America” inside South Korea, but that isn’t always a good thing for soldiers looking to explore a new culture. (Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Esper\u2019s latest comments come as media reports that President Donald Trump is pushing for South Korea to significantly up its financial contributions in host-nation support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, CNN reported<\/a> that Trump is aiming for South Korea to pay more than four times as much in 2020 to keep troops there, amid apprehension from Pentagon officials and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congressional aides told CNN that the request \u2014 which translates to $4.7 billion in host nation support \u2014 was unexpected and has unsettled South Korean leaders who now doubt the the U.S.\u2019s commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have no idea where the President pulled this number from,\u201d a congressional aide told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A State Department spokesperson told CNN that “sustaining the costs of our global military presence is not a burden that should fall on the US taxpayer alone, but is a responsibility that should be shared fairly with allies and partners who benefit from our presence.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, an anonymous administration official also told CNN that South Korea needs \u201cto make some fundamental investments to get where they say there want to be, so this is an opportunity for them.\u201d The official noted how things have changed since the Korean War, and that now \u201cthey\u2019re one of the world\u2019s leading economies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts previously told Military Times<\/a> hashing out a host-nation support agreement with South Korea in February 2019 was \u201ccontentious.\u201d Already, that round of negotiations led to South Korea paying $70 million more than it did the previous year, totaling $990 million in host-nation support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although host-nation support agreements have historically lasted five years, last year\u2019s negotiations led to a one-year agreement and now is an issue the U.S. and South Korea will tackle annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Trump signaled in August<\/a> that he would exert pressure on South Korea to up financial contribution to support U.S. troops there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTalks have begun to further increase payments to the United States,\u201d Trump tweeted in August. \u201cSouth Korea is a very wealthy nation that now feels an obligation to contribute to the military defense provided by the United States of America. The relationship between the two countries is a very good one!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retired Army Col. David Maxwell, who has several decades of military service in Asia, said he doubts the South Korean National Assembly will get on board with a major increase in funding for 2020. The National Assembly will ultimately be responsible for signing off on an agreement, meaning a deal isn\u2019t guaranteed even in a situation where both Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands to boost spending, Maxwell explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, Maxwell predicted that a resolution would not be reached before December 31, which marks the deadline to reach a 2020 host-nation support agreement. Maxwell said reports indicate there are new categories of support the U.S. is trying to force onto South Korea, although there is no information publicly available yet on how these new categories were selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe negotiations are already more contentious and much more complex than last year due to the new categories of support,\u201d Maxwell, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in an email to Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maxwell also noted that there will be \u201congoing problems\u201d if host-nation support agreements continue as one-year deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will see the impact in January if there is not agreement and all host nation support is halted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than conducting their primary work, Maxwell warned military personnel in that scenario would need to take up logistical and administrative essential services in order to keep United States Forces Korea afloat without the host nation support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are headed for a train wreck,\u201d Maxwell said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Esper, who is in Seoul, said Friday that South Korea \u201cis a wealthy country and could and should pay more to help offset the cost of 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