By Anadolu staff
South Korea on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to the existing defense cost-sharing agreement with the US, following comments by President Donald Trump suggesting Seoul should cover the full cost of its own defense, according to Yonhap News.
"Our government's stance is that it will implement the 12th SMA (Special Measures Agreement), which was validly concluded and in effect," said the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
The two countries signed the 12th SMA last year, under which Seoul will pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.11 billion) next year, up from 1.4 trillion won this year.
On Tuesday, Trump said that South Korea pays the US very little for the deployment of American troops, and now they should pay for their own defense.
South Korea hosts some 28,500 US soldiers, an arrangement that started in the wake of the Korean War of 1950-1953.
Last month, South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said that NATO's hike in defense spending carries implications for his country, as Seoul is facing US demand to increase defense spending.
Earlier, the South Korean Defense Ministry said that the share of its defense spending against GDP is "very high" as compared with other major US allies.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid