U.S. military puts Korean workers on unpaid leave as talks over costs continue

TOKYO — The commander of U.S. troops in South Korea said he was heartbroken on Wednesday after taking the unprecedented step of putting about 4,000 local workers on unpaid leave — in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic — as the allies struggle to reach agreement on sharing defense costs.

The impasse stems from President Trump’s demand that Seoul raise more than fivefold its contribution to the cost of stationing about 28,500 U.S. troops in the country, a demand that South Korea says is politically impossible to meet.

Negotiators have since narrowed the gap between the two sides, and South Korea believes a deal may be close. But with money running out, the U.S. military command in South Korea placed nearly half the South Korean workers at its military bases on unpaid leave on Wednesday, for the first time in the history of the 70-year alliance. Continue reading.