If this report is accurate it appears the ROK government has once again gotten what they wanted from the US-ROK cost sharing negotiations with the caveat that it is only a one year deal:
Camp Humphreys, a U.S. Forces Korea base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, is seen in this file photo. Yonhap
South Korea and the United States are expected to strike a deal this week on splitting the cost for the stationing of American troops here as the allies consider the need to work closely together to denuclearize North Korea, a diplomatic source said Sunday.
The U.S. will likely accept South Korea’s request for a contribution of less than US$1 billion (1.1 trillion won) in 2019.
Seoul plans to sign a one-year contract as Washington demands, according to the source.
Last year, South Korea paid around 960 billion won for the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) under a five-year deal signed in 2014.
You can read more at the link, but since this is a one year deal I would expect the Trump administration to ratchet up the pressure again for the ROK to pay $1.2 billion when negotiations begin again later this year.
For people moving to or visiting Camp Humphreys here are the gates and the hours they are open:
Pedestrian Gate: 24-Hours for Pedestrians, Escorts, and Bicycles.
Anjeong-ri Gate: 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. entry is limited to one lane. Exiting the installation is all lanes for privately owned vehicles, contract vehicles, bicycles and motor bikes. (CLOSED on Weekends and Holidays)
CPX Gate — CLOSED
Dongchang‐ri 020 Gate: 24-Hours for privately owned vehicles, pedestrians, buses, contract type utility vehicles, motor bikes and bicycles.
Hamjeong‐ri 021 Gate: 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (CLOSED on Weekends and Holidays) for privately owned vehicles, pedestrians, contract type utility vehicles, buses, small commercial vehicles, motor bikes, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Dodu-ri Gate: 24-Hours for privately owned vehicles, pedestrians, contract type utility vehicles, buses, military vehicles, commercial vehicles, motor bikes, bicycles, and escorts.
I think President Moon is telling the truth here because President Trump is likely letting his surrogates negotiate the ultimate price for him. Trump though must have given his surrogates guidance on the lowest cost he is willing to accept:
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday dismissed recent reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has named a specific price for keeping U.S. troops in South Korea, saying the leaders simply do not speak in such a manner. “Not just President Trump but no leader of any country in the world speaks in such a manner,” the president was quoted as saying. “Such reports can be an insult to President Trump,” he added, according to his spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom. Moon’s remarks follow news reports that claimed the U.S. president may have asked South Korea to pay US$1.2 billion as part of costs to maintain U.S. Forces in Korea.
You would think someone would have studied how to best handle vehicle access into Camp Humphreys during rush hour periods. It appears that was not the case:
Cars line up in the morning to enter Camp Humphreys in the rural area of Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Traffic jams are posing a major headache for the growing population on the recently expanded Army garrison.
Traffic jams are posing a major headache for the growing population on Camp Humphreys, the U.S. military’s new headquarters in South Korea, with many complaining about a dearth of access gates and guards to man them. Lines of cars are frequently backed up for several blocks on the roads outside and inside the Army’s largest overseas base as drivers wait to file through sometimes a single lane during rush hours. Scanners used by the guards to check IDs often don’t work promptly, causing even more frustration. One man was injured when the grab barriers deployed as he was driving through one of the access points in November. “It is out of control,” said Elyse Hendriksen-Bannon, who must battle traffic twice in the morning to get on post – first when she takes her husband to work and later to take her 13-year-old son to the middle school.
It will be interesting to see if the USFK cost sharing issue is in fact used to drawdown troops from South Korea:
President Donald Trump speaks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and troops from both nations over lunch at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017.
While the United States and North Korea try to revive nuclear talks, another dispute is simmering on the southern half of the peninsula over funding for U.S. forces. Seoul and Washington failed to agree on a new cost-sharing deal for the 28,500 U.S. servicemembers stationed in South Korea before the latest five-year contract expired on Dec. 31. That has raised fears that President Donald Trump may threaten to draw down forces as he prepares for a possible second summit with North Korea. The longtime allies held 10 rounds of talks since March but remained deadlocked as the new year began over Washington’s reported demand that South Korea increase its contribution by as much as 150 percent.
You can read more at the link, but analysts do have a point that if troops levels are reduced the Trump administration can blame South Korea for not increasing their contributions to the funding of the US-ROK alliance instead of saying it is a concession to North Korea.
If troops levels were to be cut it seems the easiest thing to do would be to stop the rotational brigade from deploying to South Korea.
This is all an attempt by the Moon administration to deflect criticism from conservative critics in South Korea and the US:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is well aware that the United States Forces Korea (USFK) will continue to be stationed in the South despite his ongoing efforts for the regime’s denuclearization, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a televised New Year’s press conference, Thursday.
“Kim Jong-un clearly understands the North’s denuclearization has nothing to do with the presence of the USFK in the South, viewing its existence as part of the security alliance between Seoul and Washington,” Moon said.
The remark came amid lingering concerns that North Korea may demand the withdrawal of the USFK in the future, as it will be difficult for the South to justify U.S. troops’ continuing presence here after the possible declaration of the end to the 1950-53 Korean War.
You can read more at the link, but the rhetoric of ending the Korean War has been going on for months because the Kim regime wants the peace treaty in order to challenge the legitimacy of the military presence in South Korea. If there is peace why is USFK needed?
President Moon is saying all the right things that USFK will remain after any peace treaty is signed, to include claiming Kim Jong-un understands this as well. However, this is likely just rhetoric to prevent energizing South Korean conservatives against a peace treaty.
Remember Moon is a very skilled politician that needs to keep the Korean right at bay and public anxiety down. If he openly advocated for a USFK withdrawal, that would give the South Korean right an issue to strongly attack him with and cause much public anxiety after decades of security guarantees provided by US forces. That is why I think the Moon administration will publicly say they support USFK staying, but will then have surrogates do things to make life difficult for USFK.
Possibly the future of USFK after a peace treaty could look a lot like the current THAAD site in Seongju. President Moon will say all the right things that he supports USFK, just like he supposedly supports the THAAD site, but will set conditions to make it difficult for its continued existence and cause the US to withdraw troops on its own accord.
North Korea’s official newspaper urged South Korea on Monday to stop joint military drills with the United States, saying it will help create a peaceful atmosphere and move forward inter-Korean relations. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North’s ruling party, also called on Seoul to stop bringing any foreign strategic assets onto the Korean Peninsula, reiterating what leader Kim Jong-un demanded during his New Year’s speech last week. “Removing nuclear threats on the Korean Peninsula and fostering peaceful mood is an essential requirement for inter-Korean relations to move forward,” the newspaper said in a commentary.
Late shot…spent some time Christmas Day visiting D-2 ADA THAAD at their remote site. Thankful for their dedicated service and dedication to their no-fail 24/7 mission. Mess Team was preparing a feast! Outdoor pics unauthorized. pic.twitter.com/yPDRt4wSzM
It only took nearly 15 years, but it appears the local Korean government in Paju has figured out what to finally do with old Camp Howze:
This pagoda, pictured in October 2004, at Camp Howze, South Korea, predates the U.S. Army’s occupation of the base. SETH ROBSON/STARS AND STRIPES
This week, Paju City announced plans to renovate six buildings at the old base to create something it calls “Flat Village” by June 2021, the Hankyoreh Shinmun reported Wednesday. The $18.3 million project, which includes parking for 550 vehicles, will turn the former base gymnasium into a performance hall and a supply shop into a museum and gallery, a Paju City official said Thursday. Officers’ quarters will be converted to a guest house, a dining facility will become a community center and a headquarters building will transform into an artist’s residence, the official said. People living near Howze made great sacrifices as a consequence of the Korean War, Paju Mayor Choi Jong-hwan said, according to the newspaper report. The project will create jobs and boost locals’ incomes, he said, adding that the base would be “reborn as a place of reconciliation, healing and peace.”
