Seoul & Washington fail to agree on cost of US troops as deal set to expire

South Korea and the United States failed on Wednesday to reach an agreement over Seoul’s contribution towards hosting some 28,500 US troops. The two countries ended two days of talks that were the last before their existing deal expires on December 31.

South Korean lawmakers have said Washington is seeking up to $5 billion a year, more than five times the amount Seoul agreed to pay this year, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump has demanded that many US allies, including NATO members and Japan, pay more towards defense. He has frequently accused South Korea of being a rich nation that is profiting off the US military forces, which are stationed in the country as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The lack of a deal in talks led by South Korea’s chief negotiator Jeong Eun-bo and his US counterpart, James DeHart, could result in a repeat of last year's attempt, when the two countries missed a year-end deadline but reached a retroactive agreement in the new year.