South Korea agrees to boost funding for US troops by 13.9 percent

South Korea agrees to pay 1.18 trillion won ($1.03bn) for the upkeep of US troops there, ending year-long deadlock.

South Korea has agreed to increase its contribution to the cost of hosting troops from the United States by 13.9 percent, according to an official. The hike, announced on Wednesday, will take South Korea’s payments towards the upkeep of US troops stationed there to 1.18 trillion won ($1.03bn), up from 1.038 trillion won ($924m) in 2019. The United States, under former President Donald Trump, had called on South Korea to raise its contributions, accusing it of “free-riding” and demanding that it pay as much as $5bn a year.