Washington’s call for a sharp increase in Seoul’s share of its defense costs is an untimely demand that could put the readiness of the combined U.S. and South Korean forces at risk at a time when North Korea is escalating threats, said experts.”This is the worst time to be having this debate between the U.S. and South Korea, given what North Korea has done,” said Lawrence Korb, former assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan administration and currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Washington and Seoul are engaged in a dispute over the A missile is fired during the test of a multiple rocket launcher in this undated photo released, Aug. 25, 2019, by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency.On Saturday, North Korea tested what South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo called a North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un visits a construction sites in Samjiyon County, in this undated picture released by North Korea’s Central News Agency on Oct. 16, 2019. He added the dispute over cost-sharing “emboldens Kim Jong Un,” the North Korean leader.Experts said the expiration of the current SMA could put the readiness of the U.S. and South Korean combined forces at risk.”A large number of U.S. military personnel will have to be diverted from their normal work,” such as training to maintain readiness, according to David Maxwell, a former U.S. Special Forces colonel who served on the Combined Forces Command of the U.S. and South Korea. Instead of serving their key military functions, American troops would need to fill in the roles of Korean civilian workers who provide administrative and support duties, said Maxwell, who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.”If there is no agreement on burden-sharing, then beginning around March or April, the Korean civilian workers will be furloughed,” said Maxwell.A South Korean army K-55 artillery vehicle moves through a exercise near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas in Cheorwon, South Korea, Aug. 21, 2017.Ken Gause, director of the adversary analytics program at research organization CNA, said, “For now, we can accommodate tension and disagreement in the alliance.” He continued, “But over time, it will impact readiness and our ability to effectively respond to crises on the peninsula.”Maxwell said the cost-sharing dispute sends a wrong message to North Korea, giving Kim an opportunity to exploit the rift to further “divide the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance to conquer [South Korea],” which has been a goal of Pyongyang’s.”Our actions are contributing to alliance erosion,” said Maxwell. “The alliance needs to focus on the threat from the North, which is an existential threat to [South Korea], and it is a vital U.S. national interest to prevent conflict or war on the Korean Peninsula.”Korb said Washington needs to ask Seoul to shoulder a smaller share.”While it’s not insignificant, the fact of the matter is our defense budget is $750 billion,” said Korb. “And what you’re talking about here is a couple of billion [from Seoul]. Basically, you could settle for a much smaller amount that would make everybody happy.” The Dome of the U.S. Capitol is visible in the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 2019.On Monday, U.S. lawmakers reached an agreement on a President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands at the start of a bilateral meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, Sunday, June 30, 2019.”The U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance is strong and vital for regional peace and stability,” a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told VOA on background. “We appreciate the considerable resources the Republic of Korea provides to the U.S.-ROK alliance, including but not limited to the Korea Special Measures Agreement, but the president has been clear that the Republic of Korea can and should contribute more of its fair share.”The United States invests significant military resources and capabilities to meet our defense treaty obligations around the world,” the spokesperson continued. “Satisfying these obligations comes with enormous costs. Sustaining the costs of our global military presence is not a burden that should fall on the U.S. taxpayer alone, but is a responsibility that should be shared fairly with allies and partners who benefit from our presence.”The United States seeks a fair and equitable outcome to the SMA negotiations for both countries that will strengthen and sustain the resilient U.S.-ROK alliance,” the spokesperson added.Tied to the cost-sharing dispute was a concern about whether the U.S. would withdraw American troops from the Korean Peninsula if an agreement is not made.Secretary of Defense Mark Esper dispelled that concern in November, saying the U.S. has no plans to pull U.S. troops from South Korea. The defense bill announced on Monday bars the U.S. from cutting the number of American troops in South Korea below 28,500 unless the secretary of defense certifies it is in the U.S. national security interest to do so.Ham Ji-ha contributed to this report.
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