The United States and South Korea have reached an agreement on a five-year plan for sharing the costs of maintaining American troops in South Korea, according to statements from the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State.
For 2026, the countries have agreed to increase defense spending by 8.3 percent, bringing it to $1.1 billion, as stated in a declaration from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
Seoul and Washington began discussions on this matter earlier, seen as an effort to finalize the plan before the U.S. presidential elections in November.
South Korea and the U.S. reached an agreement on the new spending plan after eight rounds of talks that began in April, as the existing agreement was set to expire next year.
Approximately 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons.
South Korea began sharing the costs of American deployments, which fund local hires, military facility construction, and other logistical support, in the early 1990s.
Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the upcoming November elections, had accused South Korea of not paying enough for American defense, demanding that it contribute up to 5 billion euros per year for U.S. deployments.
During the Trump administration, there was no progress on this front. However, his successor, Joe Biden, reached an agreement, and Seoul agreed to increase its contribution by 13.9 percent.
