駐韓軍費談不攏 川普要年年換約 聯合20181229

【Comment】

Defense is never a free lunch. 

The one who receive foreign protection should pay the related costs in versatile measures, such as cash, direct budgets, labors, in-kind contributions, service, the providing of facilities and areas, tariff differentiation, and so on. 

The existing Special Measures Agreement (SMA) was concluded at Seoul February 2, 2014 with the Implementation Arrangement and the Exchanges of Notes and Correcting Notes.

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/230337.pdf

The SMA is for 28,500-strong USFK and "operational support" from American forces outside Korea, which implies that S. Korea should bear the responsibility of regional security, including aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and nuclear submarines.

Since the end of the Pacific War, S. Korea receives UN and the US protection for more than seven decades, seeing the threat from N. Korea among others, S. Korea has to pay to get more independence it desires.  There is no free lunch as such.

South Korea, US begin talks on sharing defense costs    The Korean Times 20181229

South Korea and the United States opened another round of negotiations Wednesday on sharing the cost of American troops stationed on the Korean peninsula amid differences over how much Seoul should pay.

Senior diplomats of the allies started the two-day session at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul at around 10 a.m., officials said.  It's the sixth round of talks this year aimed at deciding new terms related to South Korea's financial burden for the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

It comes as Washington wants Seoul to pay far more for the 28,500-strong USFK and "operational support" from American forces outside Korea.

Operational support includes the deployment of so-called strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and nuclear submarines to counter North Korea's military threats.

It's a new category in the bilateral Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that dates back to the early 1990s.

South Korea has divided the bill for the USFK into three sectors: payroll, construction and logistics.

Speaking at a National Assembly session on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said there's still a wide gap between the two sides over the issue.

She stressed the government is striving to reach a "reasonable" agreement in a "transparent" manner.

Seoul's share increased to around 960 billion won ($856 million) in 2018 under the latest five-year accord from 150 billion won in 1991, according to government data.  The current SMA contract is to expire at the end of this year.

The allies started negotiations on a new agreement in Honolulu in March, followed by talks on Jeju Island, in Washington D.C., Seoul and Seattle.

South Korea is represented by Chang Won-sam, a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Sri Lanka, and his counterpart is Timothy Betts, deputy assistant secretary of state for plans, programs and operations. (Yonhap)

駐韓軍費談不攏 川普要年年換約    聯合20181229

南韓國際廣播電台（ＫＢＳ）廿八日報導：美國川普政府將全面重新研討如何與駐軍國分擔駐外美軍費用的相關規定。美國突然向南韓提議將下次防衛費分擔協定的有效期定為一年也是出自這個原因，美國擬定新的防衛費分擔原則後，將以新的標準與南韓、日本和北約等有關國家進行協商。

消息靈通人士廿八日透露，本月十一至十三日，美國代表在首爾舉行的第十次「韓美防衛費分擔特別協定」會議中，提議將協定有效期定為一年（二○一九年一年）。協定有效期和分擔額是韓美協商的主要爭論點，目前協定的有效期為五年，美國提議將協定有效期定為一年，出乎韓方的意料。

分析認為，美國此舉旨在重新研討如何與南韓、日本和北約等國家簽署新的防衛費分擔協定，未來將儘量加大駐軍國的分攤費用，朝著確保美國利益最大化的方向修訂協定。最近美國總統川普也一再提出不滿，認為同盟國未能分擔足夠的防衛費。

韓美簽署第十次「防衛費分擔特別協定」的協商面臨困難，美國要求南韓上調五成防衛費分擔額。 按照目前實行的第九次「防衛費分擔特別協定」，今年南韓分擔額為九千六百零二億韓元（約台幣二百六十四億元），約占整體防衛費的一半。