트럼프, "한국, 방위비 분담금 2배로 증가해야"...괘씸죄? VIDEO: Trump Wants South Korea to Pay More for U.S. Troop Presence

Trump Wants South Korea to Pay More for U.S. Troop Presence

U.S. demand for more troop funding is pressuring ties to Seoul

By Gordon Lubold and Warren P. Strobel in Washington and Andrew Jeong in Seoul

Dec. 7, 2018 5:28 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—President Trump wants South Korea to pay significantly more money for American troops stationed in South Korea, a demand that has snarled negotiations over a defense pact as the Seoul government resists, according to people familiar with the talks.

The Straits Times

트럼프, "한국, 방위비 분담금 2배로 증가해야"...괘씸죄? 남북 경제협력 수입차 관세 면제  미국 협조 절실 불구   도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 한국에 ‘방위비 2배 인상’을 원하고 있다고 월스트리트저널(WSJ)이 7일(현지시간) 보도했다. 남북 경제협력과 수입차 관세 면제를 위해 미국의 협조가 절실한 한국에 ‘청구서’를 날리는 것으로 해석된다. 주한미군 유지비 연간 8억3000만달러  16억달러로 인상 원해 WSJ에 따르면 현재 한국은 2만8500명 가량의 주한미군 유지비로 연간 8억3000만달러 가량을 부담하고 있다. 주한미군 주둔비의 약 절반이다. 트럼프 대통령은 이를 연간 16억달러로 인상하길 원하고 있다. 미국은 행정부 차원에서도 한국에 ‘방위비 50% 증액(연간 8억3000만달러→연간 12억달러 가량)’을 제안했다고 WSJ는 전했다. 이같은 제안은 한·미 방위비분담금 특별협정(SMA) 협상 시한을 앞두고 나왔다. SMA는 5년 단위 협약으로, 현재 협약은 올해 12월31일 만료된다. 한·미는 방위비 분담 비율 조정을 위해 올들어 9차례 협상을 벌인데 이어 오는 11~13일 서울에서 10번째 회의를 할 예정이다. 제임스 매티스 국방장관, 조지프 던퍼드 합참의장 등은 재정적 문제를 떠나 한·미 동맹의 중요성을 트럼프 대통령에게 이해시키려고 노력하는 것으로 전해졌다. 하지만 트럼프 대통령은 대선 때부터 한국이 방위비를 인상해야 한다고 주장해왔다. 한국 정부는 막대한 방위비 인상은 수용하기 어렵다는 입장이다. 경기도 평택의 캠프 험프리스 주한미군 기지 조성비(130억달러) 대부분을 한국이 부담했다는 점도 내세우고 있다. 하지만 미국은 한국의 약점을 물고 늘어질 가능성이 있다. 우선 한국은 미국과 북한의 비핵화 협상과 맞물려 남북경협을 서두르고 있다. 남북경협은 미국의 협조가 필요한 사안이다. 또 트럼프 행정부는 내년 2월 중순 무역확장법 232조에 근거해 한국, 일본, 유럽 등의 수입차에 25% 관세 부과를 검토하고 있다. 한국은 지난 3월 한·미 자유무역협정(FTA) 개정 때 자동차 부문에서 미국에 대폭 양보한만큼 ‘한국 차에 대한 고율관세를 면제해달라’고 요구하고 있지만 아직 확답을 받지 못했다. 워싱턴=주용석 특파원 hohoboy@hankyung.com 한국경제

edited by kcontents

The standoff puts a key American alliance under pressure at a time when the U.S. is pushing for the denuclearization of North Korea, and could weaken U.S. standing with Seoul as it pursues rapprochement with Pyongyang, its neighbor to the north. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is planning a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in coming months.

At issue is the so-called Special Measures Agreement, or SMA, a five-year contract between the U.S. and South Korea  that expires Dec. 31. The current agreement requires the Republic of Korea to pay about $830 million per year to the U.S. to host the more than 28,500 American troops based in South Korea, or about half of the estimated annual cost.

Mr. Trump, who has sought to reopen global agreements to get what he considers better deals for the U.S., wants South Korea to pay as much as double the current amount, according to some of the people familiar with the talks, the equivalent of $1.6 billion per year for the next five years. Others familiar with the talks said Mr. Trump’s administration is pushing for 150% of the current deal, or about $1.2 billion.

The demands aren’t sitting well with Seoul and the two countries are far apart on a new deal, according to the people familiar with the talks. Mr. Moon has told South Korean officials he isn’t willing to pay more than what his country already has agreed to pay.

The leaders of the top five political parties from South Korea have informed Mr. Moon in recent weeks that the South Korean national assembly cannot absorb an increase, according to people familiar with those discussions.

Meanwhile, talks between the U.S. and North Korea have stalled, with a critical meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mr. Kim last month cancelled. At the same time, recent research and satellite imagery point to the North’s continued development of nuclear weapons and weapons facilities.

Neither the Trump administration nor the South Korean government responded to requests for comment on troop funding.

U.S. Army soldiers at the June opening ceremony for the new headquarters of the U.S. Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. PHOTO: AHN YOUNG-JOON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

The two sides have had a series of meetings since March, and will meet again next week in Seoul. Washington and Seoul failed to secure an agreement in the last round of defense cost-sharing negotiations, in 2013, before that year’s deadline. The two sides reached a deal in January 2014, which set South Korea’s contributions to the U.S. presence at the present level until Dec. 31, 2018.

Other U.S. diplomatic and military officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford, have tried to convince Mr. Trump of the importance of the alliance, apart from the financial considerations, people familiar with the discussions said. The Pentagon declined to comment.

“It is in the strategic interest of the U.S. to have significant military forces stationed on the Korean peninsula,” said Abraham Denmark, a former Pentagon policy official for East Asia. “It’s stabilizing for the region and it helps us to defend our allies from a very real threat.”

South Korean and many U.S. officials also point to the construction of Camp Humphreys, a military complex south of Seoul that will house many American troops. South Korea footed most of that bill, which was estimated to be as high as $13 billion. Mr. Trump visited the base during his visit to South Korea last year.

In Seoul, South Korean lawmakers have mixed feelings about large cost increases, two parliamentary officials said.

A South Korean parliamentary official belonging to the Liberal Korea Party, the largest conservative party, who was recently briefed on the U.S.-South Korean negotiations, said the U.S. had asked for a 50% hike to South Korea’s annual fees.

“The conservative party is not against the idea of raising defense costs for U.S. Forces Korea,” he said. “But we do need to closely examine where and why the increases are needed before we approve the new agreement.”

Another parliamentary official said Mr. Moon’s party is keen on ensuring transparency.

“We believe that substantial amounts of past South Korean payments to the U.S. have gone unused,” he said. “These payments remain in community bank accounts in the U.S…. These accounts have been accruing interest.”

Other experts believe the South Korean government has little leverage in the negotiations.

“The Trump administration can threaten to raise car tariffs against South Korean auto makers, or withdraw support for the Korea-U.S. FTA,” said Choi Kang, the deputy head of the Asan Institute, a private Seoul-based think tank, referring to the free trade agreement between the two countries that took effect in 2012, before undergoing renegotiations under the Trump administration.

“If there’s no agreement, South Korean employees working on U.S. military bases will be the first to be laid off,” Mr. Choi said. The salaries of these South Koreans are paid from the Seoul government’s contributions.

Mr. Choi noted that Mr. Trump could threaten to decrease the number of American troops in South Korea, an idea he has hinted at before.

Write to Gordon Lubold at Gordon.Lubold@wsj.com, Warren P. Strobel at Warren.Strobel@wsj.com and Andrew Jeong at andrew.jeong@wsj.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-wants-south-korea-to-pay-more-for-u-s-troop-presence-1544221727

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