South Korea and the U.S. begin a ninth round of talks on military cost sharing Tuesday in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Seoul's chief negotiator Chang Won-sam is leading negotiations across from his U.S. counterpart Timothy Betts from the State Department.

Washington has asked South Korea to pay for the cost of deploying U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula which Seoul has denied.

The two sides will have to find common ground on the total amount of Seoul's contribution, the expiration date and annual increase in the costs.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in-depth discussions will be held to coordinate stances based on what was discussed in the previous round of talks. The ministry said negotiations have fairly progressed and are nearing the final stages.

The cost of stationing U.S. troops in South Korea includes labor costs for Korean employees at the U.S. Forces Korea, various construction costs and other logistical expenses. 

Seoul's share of the cost this year is over 960 billion won.