Missile Defense Costs

[Anchor Lead]

The Defense Ministry has made it clear that the U.S. should foot the bill for operating and maintaining the THAAD U.S. missile defense system on Korean soil. It said the deployment cost was not up for negotiation and that the issue is separate from Korea-U.S. negotiations on defense cost sharing.

[Pkg]

The Defense Ministry has said the cost to operate and maintain the THAAD U.S. anti-missile shield in Korea can't be an issue for renegotiation with Washington.

[Soundbite] Moon Sang-gyun(Spokesman, Defense Ministry) : "The cost of THAAD has already been agreed upon between the two sides. There's also a stipulation in the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). It's not a matter of renegotiation."

The ministry stressed this agreement is indicated in a memorandum of understanding the two sides drafted last year ahead of the THAAD deployment. Regarding U.S. National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster's remark of a "renegotiation" of the deployment cost, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said that he believes the focus of his remark was on keeping the agreement reached with Korea. The presidential National Security Office also interpreted McMaster's comment as reaffirming the validity of the existing deal between Seoul and Washington. Some pundits say President Trump's call on the THAAD cost is aimed at securing a favorable position in defense cost-sharing negotiations with Korea. However Seoul's defense ministry has made it clear that the cost of THAAD and the defense cost-sharing issue are separate matters.