Seoul denies to share more cost for U.S. base relocation

SEOUL, March 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea denied on Monday claims by U.S. military that Seoul will share more cost for U.S. military base relocation in the country.

"Commander Bell's remarks that South Korea and the United States should equally shoulder the cost of the Land Partnership Plan (LPP) appear to have expressed the U.S. side's view, but nothing to that end has been agreed between South Korea and the United States," the Public Relations Office of the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The statement came after U.S. Force in Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Burwell B. Bell recently told a U.S. House Appropriations Committee hearing that Seoul has agreed to shoulder half of the costs to relocate U.S. troops from Seoul's Yongsan Garrison and frontline bases to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

Bell said the relocation project is estimated to cost about 10 billion U.S. dollars and Seoul has agreed to shoulder half of the costs.

Under earlier agreement between Seoul and Washington, the South Korean side agreed to develop the Pyeongtaek base to accommodate the U.S. troops to be relocated from Seoul and north of the South Korean capital. South Korea agreed to shoulder the entire cost of relocating U.S. troops from Seoul, about 4.4 billion U.S. dollars, as the move comes at its request. However, South Korea insists the cost of relocating the frontline 2nd U.S. Infantry Division must be shouldered by Washington as it comes under its own plan.

Bell said Seoul has agreed to shoulder half of the costs to relocate the 2nd Infantry Division.

In response, Seoul said Bell's remarks was "not true."

"The U.S. base relocation project is to relocate troops out of Yongsan Garrison and the 2nd Infantry Division from north of the Han River. The project is being pursued under an agreement that South Korea would shoulder the cost of relocating the Yongsan base and the U.S. side would pay for the relocation costs of the 2nd Infantry Division," the ministry said.

"The total cost of the USFK base relocation project to be shouldered by the South Korean side is 4.58 trillion won (4.38 billion U.S. dollars)," it added.