US and South Korea agree on new cost-sharing deal for troops

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says the U.S. and South Korea have reached an agreement in principle on a new arrangement for sharing the cost of the American troop presence. Details were not released, but the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said Sunday that the deal includes a negotiated increase in Seoul’s share of the cost for the U.S. troop presence. Talks had broken down during the Trump administration over Washington’s demand for a five-fold increase in South Korea’s share of the cost. A State Department spokesperson declined to specify the agreed increase in Seoul’s share.