A preliminary deal would see South Korea pay the U.S. almost $1 billion toward the cost of stationing U.S. military personnel in the country, up from about $800 million under a previous five-year agreement, CNN reports, citing two State Department officials.
Why it matters: This agreement has eased concerns among advisers who feared Trump would agree to withdraw U.S. troops during his summit later this month with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose regime has long objected to the U.S. military presence on the peninsula, per CNN. Trump often bemoans the costs of America's overseas presence and had been demanding South Korea double its contribution, to $1.6 billion.
What to watch: CNN reports that "this would not be a long term fix: it is only a one year agreement, with the possibility for a one year extension" and could be rejected by Trump. There are about 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea.
