Pay for US troops

S. Korea to hike

Seoul: Seoul said on Sunday it agreed to hike its payment for maintaining US troops on its soil by 8.2 per cent to $924 million, settling a dispute with its ally ahead of a second summit between the US and North Korea. The two countries were in a security alliance since the 1950-53 Korean war, which ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty — with more than 28,000 US troops stationed in the South to guard against threats from Pyongyang. But US President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained about the expense of keeping American forces on the peninsula, with Washington reportedly asking Seoul to double its contribution toward costs.