The United States and South Korea failed to agree on a new Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which would regulate funding for US military bases on the Korean Peninsula. This was reported on March 20 in the South Korean Foreign Ministry, noting that after the three-day talks in Los Angeles, the parties still had disagreements.
“Despite the differences in the positions of the parties, they agreed to conduct thorough consultations in order to minimize the consequences of the lack of an agreement and to promote the development of an alliance between the US and Kazakhstan and a common defense policy through the early conclusion of a mutually acceptable agreement,” the press release published on the official Ministry website.
The US Department of State also indicated difficulties in the negotiations.
“Unfortunately, there remains a big misunderstanding between the US and Kazakhstan regarding the value of the contribution of American taxpayers to the state defense of Kazakhstan. A mutually acceptable agreement will require greater concentration and flexibility on the part of the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to achieve a fair and equal burden sharing that fully reflects this value, ”said State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus to Ronhap.
The spokeswoman also added that if it was not possible to reach an agreement before the end of March, then from the beginning of April “almost half of South Korean employees of American military bases will be sent on unpaid leave,” since they receive wages from the funds allocated by Seoul. The representative of the State Department called these circumstances “extraordinary”, requiring “urgent conclusion of a new Agreement on special measures until April 1”.
- US Department of State
- Reuters
- © Joshua Roberts
Recall that the previous SMA expired on December 31, 2019. To date, the parties have already held seven rounds of negotiations, the central theme of which is the financing of US military bases deployed on South Korean territory. According to Korean media, initially Washington demanded that Seoul increase its share of financing for the US contingent from the current $ 870 million to almost $ 5 billion, but then reduced the requested amount to about $ 4 billion.
At the same time, General Robert Abrams, Commander of the US Armed Forces in South Korea (USFK), said that the absence of a part of the service personnel would negatively affect the combat effectiveness of US troops in the region.
Negotiating position
As political analyst Alexander Asafov notes, now Washington is using the “standard method of creating commitments” for the South Korean side.
“About the same pattern, US President Donald Trump exerts pressure on NATO members. However, if in the case of the alliance these are obligatory payments, they are spelled out in the charter of the organization, then in the situation with South Korea it already looks like direct extortion, ”the expert emphasized.
In turn, a researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of the Far East, Yevgeny Kim, notes that the amount that Washington asks for funding for its bases, Seoul considers unreasonably high.
“According to the leadership of the republic, the maintenance of Korean workers at these military facilities is not worth that much money,” says Kim.
He also believes that ultimately the South Korean side will not agree to pay the required amount to the United States annually, however, most likely, it will slightly increase its share of expenses.
“Seoul will not agree to $ 4 billion, but the American side will still put pressure on the Korean leadership, and the country will eventually have to increase the cost of servicing American bases to some extent,” the expert predicted.
"The course towards unification"
Analysts recall that the current differences between Seoul and Washington are far from the only ones.
So, in early June 2019, South Korea refused to form a military alliance with Japan and the United States, calling it undesirable.
"The administration of our country believes that the creation and strengthening of the alliance Republic of Korea - USA - Japan - is an undesirable phenomenon, since such an emerging bloc could constitute a" small NATO "in East Asia," said the Chairman of the Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation under the President of South Korea, Song Young Gil at the opening of the Far Eastern Russian-Korean Forum in Vladivostok.
- South Korean military
- Reuters
- © Kim Hong-Ji
Experts also point out the fact that in the fall the United States and South Korea postponed for an indefinite period the joint maneuvers of the air forces of the two countries Vigilant Ace, scheduled for November 2019. A statement was made at a press conference in Bangkok following a meeting between Pentagon President Mark Esper and South Korean Defense Minister Chung Kyung-do.
Recall that the maneuvers of the Air Force Vigilant Ace (“Vigilant Pilot”) take place every year, their goal is to work out the interaction of the military of the two countries in case of conflict with the DPRK. In 2017, joint training became the most ambitious - about 12 thousand military personnel of the two countries took part in them.
From the point of view of Alexander Asafov, Washington is not happy that Seoul "has begun to gradually move away from a policy of complete submission to the American side." Moreover, the United States is most “dissatisfied with the integration process that is going on between South Korea and North,” the expert believes.
“Both Koreas headed for unification - they are now looking for common ground, are moving towards each other. The United States does not like this, they use economic leverage to put their occupation zone back under full control, ”Asafov said.
If South Korea continues to move away from Washington’s course, the United States will react extremely negatively to this and increase pressure even more, the analyst emphasizes.
“Trade restrictions and financial sanctions may come into play. In addition, the American side will threaten the withdrawal of the American contingent, which supposedly puts South Korea at risk of an attack from North Korea and, presumably, China. But this argument will sooner or later stop working, ”Asafov said, adding that such a scenario is possible only after the US presidential election.
Political and military dependence
Nevertheless, analysts agree that, despite some cooling in relations between the US and South Korea, the parties will continue to build up military cooperation in the short term. Washington will not abandon its plans to militarize the republic, experts emphasize.
Recall that in June the United States demanded that the South Korean authorities complete the installation of the American anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) THAAD and put them into operation. The parties agreed on the placement of these guns in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula back in 2016.
- American anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) THAAD
- © US Army
In July 2019, the United States delivered two F-35A fighters to South Korea. It is planned that by 2022, Seoul will receive a total of 40 such aircraft from Washington.
In May, the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the United States plans to ship 94 SME-2 Block IIIB missiles to South Korea in the amount of $ 313.9 million. It is noted that the US side will provide technical support. , will prepare specialists, as well as provide assistance in transportation. The planned delivery, as stated in the United States, is designed to increase South Korea’s defense capabilities and ensure greater compatibility of US and South Korean weapons.
In addition, experts recall that American troops have been deployed on the peninsula since the 1950s - there are now 28.5 thousand US troops on South Korean territory. In addition, in the Asian Republic there are also about 90 American combat aircraft, 40 attack helicopters and 60 Patriot air defense systems.
As noted by Eugene Kim, despite some departure from the course of Washington, South Korea is still "politically and militarily dependent on the United States."
“A military-political union is concluded between these countries, in addition, there are agreements in the financial sector. For example, in the context of the spread of coronavirus infection, the United States agreed to help out its partners - they signed an agreement on a currency swap worth $ 60 billion, ”Kim explained.
According to him, Seoul will be able to show greater independence by abandoning pro-American politics when political forces and a leader appear in the republic that can “clearly say the United States no.”