About the Author
Joon Ha Park
Joon Ha Park is a Junior Correspondent at Korea Risk Group and has previously written on issues related to the two Koreas at The Peninsula Report.
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News US, ROK reach new defense cost-sharing deal for troops to counter North KoreaSeoul to raise contribution to US forces by 8.3% to $1.13B, a move to bolster alliance ahead of possible Trump return South Korea and the U.S. struck a new five-year defense cost-sharing agreement on Friday, a move that could frustrate North Korea’s efforts to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington even if alliance-skeptic Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election. The 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) is set to run from 2026 to 2030 and will increase South Korea’s contribution to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to 1.52 trillion won ($1.13 billion) in 2026, an 8.3% increase from 2025, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry release. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. |