Bolton asks S. Korea to increase share of USFK defense costs during Seoul visit

Posted on : 2019-07-25 15:49 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Offers no concrete position on S. Korea-Japan trade conflict and Russia-China airspace intrusion  
Blue House National Security Director Chung Eui-yong and White House National Security Advisor John Bolton at the Blue House on July 24. (provided by the Blue House)
Blue House National Security Director Chung Eui-yong and White House National Security Advisor John Bolton at the Blue House on July 24. (provided by the Blue House)

White House National Security Advisor John Bolton demanded an increase in South Korea’s share of US Forces Korea defense costs and the deployment of South Korean Navy forces to the Strait of Hormuz in a July 24 meeting with Blue House National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong.

But on the matters of the frictions between South Korea and Japan sparked by the latter’s trade retaliation measures and the recent unauthorized intrusion of Chinese and Russian military aircraft into the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), Bolton offered only an abstract and general position – effectively presenting a bill to Seoul without offering anything else.

In a July 24 external statement on the outcome of the South Korea-US national security office directors’ meeting attributed to Spokesperson Ko Min-jung, the Blue House said Chung and Bolton had “held discussions on key matters including Korean Peninsula issues and plans for increased bilateral cooperation at the local and global level.”

“[The two sides] agreed to continue discussions on post-2020 shares of defense costs in the most reasonable and fair direction based on the spirit of their alliance and on plans for cooperation for the sake of maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said. An increase in South Korea’s share of defense costs and the deployment of naval assets to the Strait of Hormuz are both key interests for the Donald Trump administration in the US.

But the statement made no explicit mention of the friction between South Korea and Japan, where the South Korean government had been hoping for the US to play a mediating role.

“South Korea and the US have to be cautious with their wording because the issue involves a third country,” said a Blue House official.

“The statement mentions that the discussions included ‘plans for increased bilateral cooperation at the local and global level,’ which is a reference to South Korea-Japan relations,” the official added.

In reference to the unauthorized intrusion into KADIZ by Chinese and Russian military aircraft, the Blue House explained that Chung “emphasized the severity of the situation and communicated South Korea’s stern response,” while Bolton “suggested that the two sides hold close discussions on similar situations going forward.”

“The two sides agreed on the need for real progress with North Korea-US denuclearization negotiations with the swift resumption of the North Korea-US working-level talks agreed upon at the North Korea-US meeting in Panmunjom on June 30, and agreed to cooperate closely to this end,” the Blue House said.

By Lee Wan and Noh Ji-won, staff reporters

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