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| U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for a day trip to Ohio, Wednesday. UPI-Yonhap |
Some $1.18 billion of US troops payment left unused
By Lee Min-hyung
Over 1.3 trillion won ($1.18 billion) from payments made by South Korea to the U.S. for the upkeep of its forces stationed here remained unused as of 2018, according to a National Assembly report, Thursday.
The report suggested that Seoul develop a new method to calculate what it pays to Washington as the latter is pressuring it to pay more for the USFK presence. Media reports also showed that the President Donald Trump administration is even trying to use some of the money to build his border wall with Mexico.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Defense unveiled a fact sheet on the "funding pool" for Trump's border wall plan. The sheet included information that the U.S. government will take $70.5 million from the USFK maintenance budget.
The funding pool report states the money will come from the budgets for two U.S. bases here ― Camp Tango in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and Kunsan Air Base in North Jeolla Province.
The report is in contrast to Trump's repeated claims that South Korea doesn't pay enough in cost sharing for the USFK. With the U.S. considering using the money for its own internal purpose, calls are growing here for Seoul to express concern to the U.S. over this issue.
When contacted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which deals with the defense cost sharing agreement, declined to comment.
"We are going to hold a public hearing to discuss details pertaining to the Seoul-Washington defense cost sharing sometime early next month," a foreign ministry official said.
Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea stepped up criticism of the U.S. for its plan to spend part of the funds provided by Seoul in building the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
"The Seoul-Washington defense sharing cost is not free money. The payment is aimed at enhancing the alliance between the two countries, and it is not acceptable for the U.S. to allocate the money for building the wall," Song said.
"My concern is that all the unused funding could end up being used to build the border wall."
The lawmaker pledged to take measures to ensure the money is not used for the construction of the wall, saying all plans regarding the spending of the unused money should be disclosed to the South Korean government and public.
South Korea signed this year's defense cost sharing deal, or the Special Measures Agreement, with the U.S. earlier this year.
Under the 2019 SMA, Seoul will pay 1.04 trillion won, up 8.2 percent from the previous year. Both sides also agreed to renew the deal next year. Before the latest SMA, both sides used to sign up to five-year contracts on cost sharing.
But with Trump urging the South to increase its payments, both sides agreed to renew the deal next year. The 2020 SMA negotiations will begin soon, and the U.S. is likely to continue pressing the South to pay more.
Trump has urged not just the South, but other U.S. allies to pay more in defense cost sharing, as part of his "America First" policy.
The defense ministry here also remained mum over Washington's plan to use the unused money to build the wall.
"It is not proper for us to make public comments on U.S. domestic issues," an official from the Ministry of National Defense said.
