Two U.S. lawmakers have urged Washington to seek a longer-term cost-sharing agreement with Seoul for the stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea.
Democratic Congresswomen Grace Meng and Norma Torres said Friday they made the call in a letter sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The letter said a one-year deal does not sufficiently reflect the importance of the bilateral alliance.
The lawmakers said they are pleased that a short-term agreement was reached between the two countries in advance of the North Korea summit but they are also concerned by the temporary nature of the agreement and urge the administration to seek a longer-term solution that communicates the depth of U.S. commitment to South Korea.
The letter said that communicating the unwavering U.S. commitment to its allies is particularly pertinent as the administration prepares for a second U.S.-North Korea summit in February, and that anything less exposes an unnecessary opportunity for North Korea to take advantage of any real or perceived divisions within the alliance.
The new one-year cost-sharing deal for this year is expected to be tentatively signed on Sunday Korea time.
The agreement reportedly calls for increasing South Korea's contribution to one-point-04 trillion won, less than the one billion dollars Washington had proposed, while shortening the term of the deal from five years to one.