Jeong Eun-bo (R), South Korean chief negotiator for the Special Measures Agreement, shaking hands with his U.S. counterpart, James DeHart
U.S. Forces Korea has begun sending a 60-day notice of potential furloughs to its nearly 9,000 South Korean employees, in an apparent move to further pressure Seoul to pay more over the allies' defense cost-sharing.
The USFK said in a press release on Wednesday, due to the 2019 special measures agreement lapse and the continued absence of a subsequent agreement, it began notifying South Korean employees of a potential administrative furlough that could take effect from April 1st.
It said the 60-day notice comes in line with U.S. law, and that it provided the employees with a six-month notice last October.
The U.S. military also added that to remain "open and transparent, the USFK will host town hall meetings across the peninsula for its South Korean workers through tomorrow.
Washington has demanded a significant increase in Seoul's financial contributions to stationing U.S. troops in Korea.
South Korea has maintained that the negotiations should proceed within the framework of the previous SMA, which expired at the end of December.
The two sides are expected to hold the next round of talks over the issue in Seoul next month.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
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