The U.S. and South Korea named their respective chief negotiators for the upcoming talks on the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) concerning the sharing of costs for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. The allies have not specified a start date for the negotiations.

Lee Tae-woo, a senior diplomat and former consul general in Sydney, will lead the South Korean delegation, while Linda Specht, a senior adviser at the State Department, will head the U.S. team, according to an announcement by the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

Why It Matters

The upcoming SMA negotiations between the U.S. and