New plan addresses cost sharing of American troops in Korean peninsula.
The White House announced President Biden’s first major deal with South Korea on Wednesday. The agreement ends a long-held stalemate between Korea’s government at the State Department regarding the cost of America’s security forces on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea will pay 13.9% more this year for hosting American troops.
The prior agreement expired at the end of 2019, allowing the new deal to retroactively apply to 2020, keeping the payment at the same rate as 2019 – $910 million. The increase in payments will be the largest since 2004. The State Department also announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel to Soul next week to “reaffirm the United States’ commitment to strengthening our alliances.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- That God would guide President Biden as he negotiates deals with foreign powers.
- For the Lord to guide the State Department in effectively forming diplomatic relations.
- For God to protect the U.S. military in Korea.
Sources: AP, NPR
