Washington is known to be considering overhauling the principles regarding how to sign a deal with allies on sharing costs for maintaining U.S. troops overseas, including in South Korea.

Speculation is that the U.S. will review its existing defense cost-sharing treaties with South Korea, Japan, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) to impose heavier burdens on the partners from next year. 

According to a diplomatic source, the U.S. said in the latest round of defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea early this month that it is working on a new principle regarding the cost-sharing negotiations with South Korea. 

The source said the U.S. proposed the two allies renew the treaty each year instead of five years as they have done so far, a proposal which Seoul is known to have rejected. 

Visiting a U.S. air base in Iraq early this week, U.S. President Donald Trump accused allies of manipulating the U.S. troops, urging them to shoulder heavier costs. 

South Korea and the U.S. failed to reach an agreement on defense sharing costs although their current five-year deal is set to expire this week. 

An official of Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides are continuing negotiations through a diplomatic channel, but the two sides have yet to confirm the schedule of the next round of negotiations.