SEOUL – The US needs to better understand that joint military exercises between South Korea and the US are for mutual interests, a South Korean official said Monday, refuting US President Donald Trump’s calls on Seoul to pay for the military drills. “It is true that the joint military exercises are helpful for (South Korea’s) security, but the joint military exercises are not benefitting South Korea unilaterally and they are rather mutually beneficial for both countries,” the official from the Foreign Ministry said on condition of anonymity. ADVERTISEMENTIt is “customary” for countries participating in joint military exercises to pay their own share of costs for the drills, according to the official. I said it to South Korea,” Trump said at a recent press conference in New York, citing the US troops’ stationing in South Korea. “If I told you how much those (military) games cost, and frankly, I told South Korea, you should be paying for these games.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 02, 2018 09:33 UTC