The U.S. State Department said that the United States and South Korea reached a consensus on a new six-year agreement on how to share costs for the upkeep of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula.
Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a daily press briefing on Monday, U.S. time, that the negotiators of the U.S. and South Korea reached a consensus on the proposed text of a new six-year Special Measures Agreement or SMA, that will strengthen the alliance and shared defense of the two nations.
Price said that the two sides are now pushing the final steps needed to conclude the agreement for signature and entry into force.
He did not elaborate on details, but hinted that the Biden administration is unlikely to have made unreasonable calls.
When asked if the new U.S. administration made less harsh demands than those of the former Trump administration, Price said that the South Koreans are U.S. allies, and thus the U.S. would not make demands that would not help strengthen the underlying alliance.
The spokesperson then added that the new administration has engaged with South Korea in "good faith," and that people will learn soon that the agreement benefits both sides.