WASHINGTON – Officials from the United States and the Republic of Korea outlined respective visions for a new agreement on sharing the cost of keeping American troops in the ROK in talks this week and will continue to consult as necessary, the chief US negotiator said on Friday.

The allies named envoys last month to launch early talks for a new deal to take effect in 2026. The aim was for an agreement before any November election comeback by former President Donald Trump, who during his presidency accused Seoul of "free-riding" on US military might, according to ROK media.

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Ahead of a first round of talks in Hawaii from Tuesday to Thursday on a so-called 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), chief US negotiator Linda Specht said Washington was seeking "a fair and equitable outcome".

The ROK began shouldering the costs of the deployment, used to fund local labor, the construction of military installations and other logistics support, in the early 1990s

“The United States and Republic of Korea outlined their respective visions for the 12th SMA ... We will continue to consult whenever necessary to further strengthen and sustain the Alliance under the 12th SMA," Specht said in a brief statement on Friday.

A senior Biden administration official told Reuters last month the talks were on track and ahead of schedule but the US did not see November as a "hard deadline”.

More than 28,000 American troops are stationed in the ROK as part of efforts to deter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The ROK began shouldering the costs of the deployment, used to fund local labor, the construction of military installations and other logistics support, in the early 1990s.

During Trump's presidency, the sides struggled for months to reach a deal before Seoul agreed to increase its contribution by 13.9 percent over the previous 2019 pact under which Seoul had paid about $920 million annually. It was the biggest annual rise in nearly two decades.

Trump had demanded Seoul pay as much as $5 billion a year.

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According to the US Government Accountability Office, from 2016 through 2019, the US Defense Department spent roughly $13.4 billion in the ROK to pay military salaries, construct facilities, and perform maintenance, while the ROK provided $5.8 billion to support the US presence.

The current deal expires in 2025, with negotiations on a successor pact usually held just before the end of the existing one.