한미 외교차관 전략대화…"방위비 조속결과 도출 노력"<br /><br />Besides matters concerning North Korea,... U.S. Deputy Secretary of State today spoke with Seoul's top diplomats to discuss bilateral relations.<br />On the table... were the sharing of costs to station U.S. troops in South Korea and expanding the G7.<br />Kim Ji-yeon tells us more.<br />While reaffirming their ironclad commitment to the defense of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea and the U.S. expressed their determination to achieve a prompt settlement of bilateral defense cost-sharing for this year... among other issues.<br />That's according to South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister, Cho Sei-young,... after his talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun.<br />This was the allies' 8th "Strategic Dialogue," held at Seoul's foreign ministry on Wednesday.<br />The two countries have until now failed to strike a deal despite holding seven rounds of talks since last September on a new Special Measures Agreement on their sharing of defense costs.<br />In previous rounds, the U.S. is believed to have asked Seoul to pay more than four times last year's figure of 8-hundred-70 million U.S. dollars.<br />In Wednesday's talks, Cho and Biegun also discussed regional partnerships and shared challenges.<br />Among the issues discussed include Washington's decision to postpone the G7 summit until the latter half of the year and to invite non-G-7 members South Korea, Russia, Australia and India,... which was first brought up by the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. in their phone call last month.<br />Cho said they discussed China-U.S. relations as well as South Korea-Japan relations... and agreed to further seek cooperation in carrying out Seoul's "New Southern Policy" as well as Washington's "Indo-Pacific Strategy"... both initiatives based on strengthening relations with Southeast Asian countries and with India on various fronts including promoting lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and trade.<br />The two sides also stressed the importance of transparent info-sharing in combating COVID-19,... sharing quarantine response measures... as well as seeking ways to support the procurement of supplies.<br />The two sides also vowed to seek cooperation in the development and distribution of vaccines and treatments for the virus.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.<br />
