FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper (L) meets with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo (R) in Seoul, South Korea November 15, 2019. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS *** Local Caption *** SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 15: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper (L) attends with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo (R) during their meeting on November 15, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. Pentagon chief visits South Korea as a part of his tour
SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States broke off talks with South Korea on increasing Seoul's contribution to the costs of hosting U.S. troops, after the two sides failed to narrow their differences on Tuesday in a row that has raised questions about the American deployment.
The breakdown in talks was a rare public sign of discord in the "airtight" alliance that has for 70 years formed a buffer against North Korean aggression, with each side blaming the other for being unprepared to compromise on sharing the costs of keeping 28,500 U.S. military personnel in South Korea.
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