The U.S. Defense Department has reiterated that South Koreans working on U.S. bases in the nation could face unpaid leave if Seoul and Washington fail to swiftly conclude an agreement on sharing defense costs. 

The Pentagon said in a media advisory issued on Sunday that if an agreement cannot be reached on a comprehensive new Special Measures Agreement(SMA), it will be necessary to furlough most South Korean employees on April first and suspend many construction and logistics activities. 

The department added that furloughs may be avoided if South Korea “agrees to a more equitable SMA,” saying “the United States remains committed to negotiating a mutually acceptable agreement which provides for fair and equitable burden sharing and strengthens” the South Korea-U.S. alliance. 

The Pentagon is apparently pressuring Seoul to pay more for the upkeep of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula one day ahead of a meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. 

Some nine-thousand South Korean workers, including three-thousand essential positions, are estimated to be working for U.S. Forces Korea.