South Korea to pay more to house US troops

South Korea will pay nearly 14 percent more in 2021 to host U.S. soldiers, according to the terms of an agreement between the two countries announced Wednesday.

Details of the agreement come three days after the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said a “negotiated increase” had been reached with Seoul.

The Associated Press reports that the new deal applies to 2021, with additional increases matching upticks in the South Korean national defense budget the next four years.

South Korea will be covering about 44 percent of the cost of hosting American troops, excluding military and civilian salaries.

The last agreement had expired in 2019, with the new deal retroactively covering 2020 by keeping the payment the same as in 2019.

News of the agreement ends a long-term stalemate between the two countries that was brought on by the Trump administration’s demand that Seoul increase its contributions by five times.

The AP notes that the smaller agreed-upon increase is indicative of President Biden’s desire to repair relations with a key ally in East Asia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be traveling to both Seoul and Tokyo next week for security consultations and to “reaffirm the United States’ commitment to strengthening our alliances,” the AP reports. Austin will be making a stop in India.

“America’s alliances are a tremendous source of our strength,” a State Department spokesperson said to The Hill earlier this week regarding to the agreement. “This development reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to reinvigorating and modernizing our democratic alliances around the world to advance our shared security and prosperity.”