Seoul: The parliamentary foreign affairs committee has passed a motion seeking parliamentary approval for the ratification of a new defense cost-sharing deal between South Korea and the United States. This development occurred during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, where the motion was passed through bipartisan consensus. According to Yonhap News Agency, last month, Seoul and Washington signed a five-year agreement to determine South Korea's share of the costs for maintaining the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). The agreement was finalized just days before the U.S. presidential election on November 5. Under the 12th Special Measures Agreement, which will be in effect until 2030, South Korea is set to pay 1.52 trillion won (approximately US$1.19 billion) in 2026. This amount marks an 8.3 percent increase from the 1.4 trillion won planned for 2025. The deal was reached amid speculation that South Korea aimed to finalize the agreement early to avoi d potentially difficult negotiations if former President Donald Trump were to return to office. During his presidency, Trump had demanded a significant increase in Seoul's financial contribution, suggesting a rise to as much as $50 billion, and criticized South Korea for allegedly benefiting from U.S. military power without adequate contribution.