South Korea agrees to shoulder more of cost of hosting US soldiers

By Anadolu staff

South Korea has agreed with the US to pay for a greater share of the expenses for hosting US troops in the country, local media said on Friday.

Under the agreement, Seoul will pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.14 billion) for the next five years starting in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won in 2025, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Some 28,500 US soldiers are deployed in South Korea, an arrangement that started in the wake of the Korean War of 1950-1953.

The agreement was finalized after eight rounds of negotiation over the last five months, according to the report.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid