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This file photo, provided by the foreign ministry, shows Lee Tae-woo, a senior diplomat and South Korea's new chief negotiator for the defense cost sharing with the United States. (Yonhap) |
A senior South Korean diplomat who previously served as the consul general in Sydney has been named to lead the negotiations with the United States on the sharing of costs for the upkeep of US troops here, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Lee Tae-woo will head the upcoming rounds of the talks on the 12th Special Measures Agreement, the ministry said, without specifying when the initial negotiations will be launched.
The career diplomat has the experience and expertise in various fields of the South Korea-US alliance, the ministry said.
Linda Specht, a senior adviser and lead negotiator for security agreements at the US State Department, will lead the US delegation for the consultations, the department said in a joint press release with South Korea's foreign ministry.
"Both delegations will endeavor to engage in productive consultations that strengthen the US-ROK combined defense posture and further solidify our alliance," it said.
Since 1991, Seoul has partially shouldered costs under the SMA for Korean USFK workers; the construction of military installations, such as barracks, and training, educational, operational and communications facilities; and other logistical support.
The current SMA is set to expire at the end of 2025 under a six-year term.
The announcement came after a senior Seoul official said the allies will likely begin talks on the next defense cost sharing deal in the near future.
In January, a local news outlet reported that Seoul and Washington had agreed to launch the talks earlier than planned, a move that appeared to consider the possible reelection of former US President Donald Trump, known for his tough bargaining on such deals.
During Trump's presidency, the SMA negotiation was a major bone of contention as he demanded a hefty rise in South Korea's share of the cost for the USFK. He reportedly called for a fivefold increase to $5 billion.
The two sides signed the SMA for 2020-26 in April 2021, soon after the launch of the Joe Biden administration. The deal came after 18 months of tough haggling over how much Seoul should shoulder for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea.
Under the latest and 11th SMA, South Korea agreed to raise the payment by 13.9 percent from 2019 to $1.03 billion for 2021.
Lee has held various posts in North American and North Korea's nuclear affairs. Before serving his last position as the consul general, Lee was the director general of the North Korean nuclear affairs bureau at the foreign ministry.
Lee also worked at the South Korean Embassy in Washington as a counselor.
The South Korean delegation for the new SMA talks will comprise officials from the ministries of foreign, defense and finance, as well as those from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
