Thousands of Korean personnel for US military placed on leave in cash row
01 April, 2020
Around 4,000 South Koreans working for the US military in their country were put on unpaid leave Wednesday (Apr 1) as Seoul and Washington bicker over funding for all of us forces.
Washington stations 28,500 troops in the united states to defend it against the nuclear-armed North, however the security allies' relationship has been strained by US demands that the South pay vast amounts of dollars more towards their costs.
The Trump administration primarily insisted on US$5 billion a year - a far more than fivefold increase.
US officials say they have since "compromised" on the figures but seven rounds of negotiations, the newest in mid-March, have didn't reach a deal.
The prior Special Measures Agreement, as the funding pact is known, expired at the end of December and US Forces Korea (USFK) said last month it might be forced to start putting Korean employees on leave from April 1 when funds to pay their salaries ran out.
"That is an unfortunate day for all of us ... it's unthinkable ... it's heartbreaking," USFK commander Robert Abrams said in a statement on Wednesday.
"These are our employees, our co-workers, our teammates, and we consider them family," he added. "They are vital to our mission."
The furloughs up to now apply to almost half USFK's near-9,000 South Korean staff.
They come as Seoul and the united states military battle the ongoing coronavirus outbreak - 13 cases linked to USFK have already been confirmed - and with North Korea following a group of weapons launches.
"THE UNITED STATES has put citizens of its security ally and their livelihood in jeopardy," Son Gio, secretary general of USFK Korean Employees Union, told AFP.
"President Trump can be putting lives of US soldiers stationed in South Korea in danger, as the furlough will make things worse for those who have already been damaged by the coronavirus outbreak within the bases."
Ahead of Wednesday's furlough, South Korean negotiator Jeong Eun-bo said Seoul and Washington had "substantially narrowed" their differences and were "at the ultimate stage of coordination to settle a deal."
"We urge the US to take measures to make certain the employees at the mercy of the furlough scheme can swiftly get back to work," he said, adding the move could undermine military readiness on the peninsula.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com