Two-day talks between South Korea and the United States over how to share future expenses for maintaining U.S. troops here ended Thursday without making any progress, officials at Seoul's Foreign Ministry said.
This week's failure in narrowing differences signals a protracted tug-of-war over the sensitive issue between the allies.
"No compromise has been reached. It was just helpful in understanding the two sides' positions," a ranking Foreign Ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
The next round of negotiations for the Special Measures Agreement will be held late next month, but no exact date and venue has been fixed yet, he added.
The official refused to reveal detailed terms proposed by each side, citing a possible impact on the negotiations that are expected to continue through the coming months.
Seoul and Washington reportedly remain apart over not only the proportion of Seoul's burden but the duration of a contract.
The U.S. is seeking a long-term contract to save time spent for related negotiations and secure the predictability of its military budget operations, while South Korea wants to sign a two- or three-year contract in consideration of the ongoing transition of the U.S. military presence here.
Roughly 30,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire in 1953, and Washington plans to reduce the number to around 25,000 by 2008 as part of its global troop-realignment plan.
After several months of talks with Washington, Seoul agreed to allocate 680.4 billion won a year in 2005 and 2006 to assist the troop presence.
South Korea is calling for a reduction in its burden for the coming years, pointing out a large number of American troops will soon leave the country.
On the other hand, the U.S. says Seoul should increase its contribution in line with its economic development.
Seoul, Aug. 10 (Yonhap News)
Seoul, Washington fail to reach a deal on defense cost |
