mo4ch:>US wargames in South Korea might be scaled back over coronavirus fears – or lack of funding deal with Seoul | Mo4ch News

News that US and South Korea are considering downsizing combined military drills – ostensibly due to coronavirus concerns – comes as the Pentagon is trying to twist Seoul’s arm into paying billions for upkeep of US garrisons.US Defense Secretary Mark Esper made a comment about coronavirus figuring into considerations about the drills at the press conference following a meeting at the Pentagon with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo.Looming over the possible downsizing, however, is the unresolved issue of funding for US troops in South Korea. Seoul currently contributes just under $1 billion for upkeep of US troops, which have been garrisoned on South Korean soil since the 1953 armistice. At President Donald Trump’s insistence, the Pentagon has pushed for that amount to increase, reportedly to around $5 billion – a deal Seoul is apparently finding hard to swallow.“Shouldering the cost of our common defense cannot fall disproportionately to the American taxpayer,” Esper said …