<Anchor> The

US government is putting pressure on the defense of the USFK in public that Korea should pay more and be more flexible every day. It is said to have suggested that we have to pay about 1.3 billion dollars, but it is difficult for our government to accept it.

Correspondent Kim Yun-su in Washington.

<Reporter> In a

written response today (8th), US Deputy Deputy Secretary of Defense for the Defense Department, James Anderson, said in a written response that the United States is asking South Korea to bear a greater share of defense spending.

Deputy Anderson's nominee acknowledged Korea's contributions over the past few decades, but argued that a stronger investment in the ROK-US alliance would be needed to prepare for more future challenges.

At the end of March, the ROK-US Defense Forces Negotiation Group made a provisional agreement at a level of 13% higher than last year, but after President Trump rejected it, the United States is publicly demanding an increase in contributions.

Earlier on the 5th, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Mark Naper, also stressed that Korea should be more flexible in negotiations.

Among these, it is known that the United States recently proposed a share of approximately 1.3 trillion dollars and 1 trillion 500 billion won to Korea.

In terms of the increase rate, it is about 49%, which is different from the 13% of the provisional agreement.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that the results of the negotiations should be reasonable and fair to all sides, suggesting that it was difficult to accept the US proposal.

There is also the possibility that the negotiations between defense and defense will fall into a long-term deadlock due to the large difference in the stance between the two sides.