China News Service, April 1. According to a Korean media report, US Army Command in South Korea stated on the 1st that because South Korea and the United States have not reached an agreement on a new special agreement for the sharing of defense costs, some Korean employees in the US Army in South Korea will enter unpaid leave from that day . South Korea ’s Ministry of National Defense said it would study plans for emergency living loan support.
South Korean Ministry of Defense spokesman Choi Hyun-soo expressed condolences to Korean employees and their families in the U.S. military in South Korea on the 1st, and said that the government is seeking countermeasures to minimize the losses of these employees.
Cui Xianxuan emphasized that the government believes that this does not help South Korea and the United States maintain a joint defense posture. Based on this knowledge, the South Korean side has proposed to the United States a variety of negotiation plans, including priority budgets for labor costs.
She said that the government will consult closely with the parliament for an early enactment of special laws to advance programs that support workers' lives with the Korean government budget and provide assistance to Korean employees. Before enacting special laws, relevant departments will also discuss various assistance programs.
The South Korean Ministry of Defense stated that in order to prevent the situation from affecting the Korean-US joint defense posture, it will continue to maintain a close cooperation system with the US Department of Defense and the US Army Command in South Korea.
Starting in September 2019, South Korea and the United States started the eleventh defense defense sharing agreement negotiations, but after seven rounds of negotiations, the two sides have not reached an agreement until March of this year. The 10th Korea-US Defense Cost Sharing Agreement expired late last year.