hankyoreh

The deal for sharing United States Forces Korea defense budget expenses (stationing expense support) effectively agreed upon at the fifth round of high-level discussions on November 19 and 20 is very disappointing. This is because of an attempt to legalize the diversion of Korea’s share of expenses, the subject of much controversy over its legality, based on the wishes of the United States.

Thus far, the government has maintained that South Korea and the United States will bear similar shares of the expenses for moving the U.S. Army base, which amount to over 10 trillion won. This means that Korea would take responsibility for the movement of the Yongsan base, which it requested, and the United States would cover the move of the Uijeongbu/Dongducheon divisions to Pyeongtaek, which it has pursued. But the U.S. Congressional Research Service recently earmarked US$750 million (approximately 1 trillion won) as expenses for the move of the U.S. military base, and the U.S. government is also saying that it will only expend that much. This means that the trillions of won remaining will be met by diverting funding from the share of defense budget expenses provided by South Korea. This is overt pressure to pass the majority of costs for the move off on South Korea.

In April of last year, the National Assembly ratified the 2007-2008 agreement on sharing defense expenses, attaching a recommendation that the share of expenses should not be used for the move of the base. They were confirming that there was no legal basis for the diversion of Korea’s share of expenses. But recently, prominent government figures such as Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee have demonstrated that they do not think diversion of the share of expenses is in violation of the law. Also, the U.S. Army has collected 1,119,300,000,000 won of Korea’s share of expenses to use for the base’s move, but the government did not inform the citizens of this fact at all, finally acknowledging it for the first time some time ago in materials submitted to the National Assembly. It appears that the government has started its movements to recognize the diversion of the share of expenses in earnest.

The over 8 trillion won provided as Korea’s share of expenses from 1991 to the present has four designated uses: personnel expenses for Korean employees, military construction expenses, project expenses for reinforcement of combined defense strength, and military project expenses. The United States claims that it can use the share of expenses as it sees fit once it receives it, as it becomes part of the U.S. budget, but this goes against the spirit of agreement in which the use of the share was specified. Also, the diversion of Korea’s share of expenses runs head on into the principle of equal shares of the expenses for the base’s move.

The deal recognizing the diversion of Korea’s share of expenses should be nullified, and the share of expenses already collected by the U.S. Army should be returned. It is not at all desirable for the future-oriented development of the South Korea-U.S. alliance as well for South Korea to “offer up” the expenses for the base’s move so expediently to the United States. The government should straighten out the error in the existing deal and pursue new negotiations. It goes without saying that the National Assembly, which has the authority to ratify the agreement, should fulfill its responsibility so that taxpayers’ money is used properly.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]