{"id":71318,"date":"2019-01-24T16:29:18","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T16:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/24\/deadlock-over-cost-of-us-troops-in-south-korea-wont-impact-military-ops-for-now-pentagon-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:44:41","slug":"deadlock-over-cost-of-us-troops-in-south-korea-wont-impact-military-ops-for-now-pentagon-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/01\/24\/deadlock-over-cost-of-us-troops-in-south-korea-wont-impact-military-ops-for-now-pentagon-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadlock over cost of US troops in South Korea isn\u2019t halting military ops, for now, but workers face furlough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. and Republic of Korea<\/a> have been working to negotiate a deal regarding how to share the cost of hosting the more than 28,000 American troops<\/a> based in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the negotiations have failed to reconcile differences over the past year, the halt in funding won\u2019t impact military operations, though Korean workers on U.S. bases<\/a> may be put on leave this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wall Street Journal reported in December<\/a> that President Donald Trump wants South Korea to pay up to double the current amount \u2014 between $1.2 billion and $1.6 billion per year for five more years. South Korean officials are opposed to the increase, the Journal reported, and the two governments are not close to an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The negotiations are over the Special Measures Agreement, or SMA, a five-year contract between the U.S. and South Korea that expired Dec. 31. The agreement previously required South Korea to pay about half of the estimated annual cost of hosting U.S. troops, or roughly $830 million per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is currently no impact to military operations,\u201d Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Logan said in a statement to Military Times. \u201cBoth sides seek a swift conclusion to SMA discussions to mitigate a possible lapse in contributions that directly support compensation for nearly 9,000 members of the [U.S. Forces Korea] Korean workforce.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[U.S. Forces Korea] will ensure our [Korean National] and [Korean Service Corps] employees have adequate time to prepare for a potential furlough,\u201d Logan added. “We value our Korean national workforce and their contribution to the Alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t