South Korean foreign minister to visit US
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Hwa will begin a four-day visit of the US today, to include talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Expect discussions to focus on the denuclearisation of North Korea and the US-South Korean alliance. The talks will likely include an attempt to renegotiate the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which determines how to divide the cost of basing 28,500 American troops in South Korea. The two sides have been unable to come to an agreement on the renewal since 2018, with a one-year stopgap having expired at the end of last year. South Korea had proposed a 13% increase to its $860 million annual contribution, while the Trump administration demanded Seoul pay $5 billion annually. Four thousand workers were furloughed as a result of the expiration, and Washington has considered withdrawing troops.
The nature of the US-South Korea alliance depends on the result of the US presidential election. If President Trump is re-elected, expect the alliance to remain transactional. However, if former vice president Joe Biden wins, expect the new administration to renegotiate the SMA, to resume the Obama-era policy of “strategic patience” to force North Korea to commit to denuclearisation, and to maintain troop levels in South Korea.
Update: the Associated Press has called the US election for Joe Biden.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
