Turning to the ongoing negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. on defense cost sharing.
Seoul says the deal appears to be on a "difficult" path,... referring to U.S. President Donald Trump's push to get South Korea to pay more for the tens of thousands of American troops deployed here.
Oh Jung-hee reports.


South Korea and the United States have begun a new round of negotiations... on sharing the cost of stationing U.S. forces in South Korea,... and Seoul says the talks could be "tough."
Last week, foreign affairs and defense officials from Seoul and Washington met in Hawaii... for the first round of negotiations on what's called the Special Measures Agreement.
Briefing reporters on the results,... Seoul's foreign ministry called it an exploratory and basic exchange of opinions.
It added that from now on the negotiation process could become more difficult... and require more than just one or two meetings.
But the ministry also said both sides agree that the costs have to be shared in a way that strengthens the Seoul-Washington alliance and their combined defense posture.
The two sides agreed to meet again in South Korea next month.

Since 1967,... the U.S. has covered the financial costs of its troops in South Korea... while Seoul provided the land and facilities.
But starting from 1991, the two sides started to share the costs under the Special Measures Agreements, or SMA.
The ninth SMA, signed in 2014, expires this year, which is why Seoul and Washington are to looking to sign a tenth one for the years to come.
The costs include the hiring of South Korean workers at U.S. bases,... facility contruction and logistical support.
South Korea is known to have covered roughly 45 to 50 percent of the total cost... to the tune of almost 900 million U.S. dollars.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.