S. Korea-U.S. to sign defense cost deal on Friday
South Korea and the U.S. will sign a one-year deal that raises Seoul's share of defense spending later today.
According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Friday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris are set to sign the deal this afternoon, raising Seoul's share of the defense costs by 8-point-2 percent.
The signing comes as South Korea agreed to pay some 920 million U.S. dollars for the operation of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea in 2019.
The Korean government has completed administrative procedures with Cabinet approval earlier this week, and is expecting the deal to be ratified by the parliament by the end of this month so that it can take effect in April.
According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Friday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris are set to sign the deal this afternoon, raising Seoul's share of the defense costs by 8-point-2 percent.
The signing comes as South Korea agreed to pay some 920 million U.S. dollars for the operation of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea in 2019.
The Korean government has completed administrative procedures with Cabinet approval earlier this week, and is expecting the deal to be ratified by the parliament by the end of this month so that it can take effect in April.