U.S. And South Korea Cannot Agree On Sharing The Costs Of U.S. Forces In South Korea

The South Korean and American flags fly next to each other at Yongin, South Korea, August 23, 2016. Picture taken on August 23, 2016. Courtesy Ken Scar/U.S. Army/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Reuters: U.S., South Korea can't agree on sharing the bill after Trump's criticism

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea have failed to agree on a bigger South Korean share of the cost of maintaining U.S. troops, an official said on Friday, as the U.S. military warned Korean workers they might be put on leave if no deal is reached.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that South Korea should bear more of the burden for keeping some 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea, where the United States has stationed forces since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Senior officials from both sides held three-day talks in Seoul from Tuesday to hammer out an accord to replace a 2014 deal due to expire this year, which requires South Korea to pay about 960 billion won (£673 million) this year.

Despite 10 rounds of negotiations since March, the two sides struggled to reach an agreement after the United States demanded a sharp increase, South Korean officials said.

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