South Korea and the US could not resolve differences on the distribution of expenses for the deployment of American troops on the Korean peninsula, TASS reported referring to the South Korean MFA.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the heads of delegation - Jeong Eun Bo and James DeHart - agreed to continue consultations to minimize the negative consequences of the lack of a deal. The parties highlighted the need for speedy achievement of mutually acceptable agreements.

If the parties fail to negotiate, South Korean employees of US military bases will be sent on unpaid leave in April.

Heading for talks, South Korean representatives hoped to discuss this issue separately from the main deal. However, the US State Department has maintained its previous position on the need for a comprehensive discussion of all issues on joint defense. No date has been set for the next round of talks.

According to South Korean media, Washington is demanding $ 4 billion from Seoul to cover the costs of maintaining its troops on the Korean peninsula. In the meantime, South Korea considers this amount to be too high.

Since 2018, Washington has been requiring Seoul to increase its contribution to the US contingent in South Korea. South Korean spendings on joint defense in 2019 was increased by 8.2% up to $ 915 million. Earlier in November, Washington demanded Seoul to increase its contributions by almost five times - up to $ 4.7 billion.