SEOUL: The United States and South Korea on Friday agreed on a new five-year plan on sharing the cost of keeping American troops in South Korea, South Korea’s foreign ministry and the US Department of Statement said. For 2026, the nations agreed to raise defense cost by 8.3 percent to 1.52 trillion won ($1.13 billion), South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Seoul and Washington launched the talks earlier than usual in what was seen as a bid to conclude the negotiations before the US election in November.