South Korea and the United States will hold their eighth round of talks on the renewal of the defense cost-sharing agreement that apportions the costs of stationing U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Monday, the upcoming negotiations for the 12th South Korea-U.S. Special Measures Agreement will take place in Seoul from Wednesday through Friday.

An official with the ministry said Seoul will maintain that its share of the costs, allocated to bolster the allies' combined defense posture and establish an environment for the stable deployment of U.S. Forces Korea, should be set at a "reasonable level." 

The previous round of talks took place about a month ago, and the U.S. later issued a statement indicating the two sides had made progress and narrowed their differences to some extent. 

There is concern as to whether the two countries will strike a deal before the U.S. presidential election in November.
 
The current Special Measures Agreement, outlining Seoul's contribution of one-point-18 trillion won, or around 890 million U.S. dollars, as well as the annual defense cost increase, is set to expire at the end of 2025.