South Korea disputes Donald Trump’s claim Seoul has agreed to pay extra US$500 million for US troops to remain

South Korea’s presidential Blue House pushed back on Wednesday against comments by US President Donald Trump that suggested Seoul had agreed to pay US$500 million more towards maintaining US troops in the country.

Trump said at a cabinet meeting in Washington on Tuesday Seoul had agreed to pay US$500 million more as part of an agreement sharing the cost of keeping roughly 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea.

“They were paying about US$500 million for US$5 billion worth of protection,” Trump said. “And we have to do better than that. So they’ve agreed to pay US$500 million more.”

Under the previous agreement – which lapsed amid disagreements in December – South Korea contributed 960 billion won (US$857 million) in 2018.

South Korean and American officials initialled an agreement on Sunday under which Seoul would increase its contribution to just under 1.04 trillion won (US$927 million), an increase of about US$70.3 million.

Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the presidential Blue House in Seoul, said when asked about Trump’s US$500 million figure that it “shouldn’t be taken as a fait accompli”. Kim said the figure had been one of Washington’s demands during the negotiations.

The agreement signed on Sunday must still be approved by South Korea’s parliament. Kim said it was valid for only one year, with the possibility of an extension for another year if both sides agreed.

“Both sides will consider whether a raise is needed and it’s also possible that they would agree to maintain the current level,” Kim said.

The two sides had struggled to reach a breakthrough, despite at least 10 rounds of talks since March, amid Trump’s repeated calls for a sharp increase in South Korea’s contribution.

Trump said in his cabinet comments on Tuesday the relationship with South Korea was “great” but that the US spent “a tremendous amount of money” defending its ally.

Meanwhile, in Washington on Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats joined together to tout the alliances between Japan, South Korea and the United States, hoping to reinforce the trilateral relationship amid an intensifying feud between Tokyo and Seoul.

Members of the House of Representatives and Senate from both parties introduced resolutions in the two chambers affirming Congress’ strong support for ties between the three countries and the critical importance of cooperation.

Relations between Japan and South Korea have chilled recently due to disputes over their wartime history, including Japan’s 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean peninsula, as well as allegations of provocations by each country’s military.

The dispute threatens regional efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear programme, just weeks before US President Donald Trump is to hold a second summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on February 27-28.

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“With so much at stake … it is critical that we maintain a responsible path forward,” Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and a co-sponsor of the measure, said in a statement.

The measures were introduced by Engel and Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as top Senate Foreign Relations Democrat Bob Menendez and the leaders from both parties of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Asia subcommittees.