Korea-U.S. Special Agreement on the Sharing of Defense Expenses (SMA) Formally Enforced

From 2026 to 2030, an agreement to determine the contribution of the U.S. Forces Korea's defense expenses has officially entered into force.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the ratification of the 12th Korea-U.S. Special Agreement on Defense Sharing took effect today (29th), as the two countries mutually informed that the domestic procedures necessary for the agreement to take effect have been completed through diplomatic diplomacy.

In the agreement, the two countries set the contribution for 2026, the first year, at 1.519.2 trillion won, up 8.3% from 2025. Since then, the annual increase rate has been agreed to be linked to the consumer price index.

The government plans to respond to the second Trump administration, which will be launched in January next year, by arguing that the 12th agreement, which has already been agreed upon by South Korea and the U.S., has taken effect even if it demands an increase in defense cost sharing.