Negotiators Close In On Cost-Sharing Deal With U.S. 

U.S. and South Korean negotiators have narrowed differences in talks over Seoul's contribution to the U.S. military presence, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul).

An agreement on South Korea's share of the cost to maintain U.S. troops in the country is expected later this week, a diplomatic source said on Sunday. 

Washington is expected to accept a South Korean contribution lower than its previous request of at least US$1 billion (1.1 trillion won) annually. 

Seoul has maintained that it would contribute no more than US$893 million (1 trillion won) annually. It sought a term of at least three years, to avoid frequent negotiations. However, the source said it would sign a one-year agreement as demanded by the U.S. 

In 2018, South Korea paid US$863 million (960 billion won) under a five-year deal signed in 2014.  

In an interview with CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday, President Donald Trump said that he had "no plans" to remove U.S. troops from the peninsula.