A photograph provided by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs show Chang Won-sam, South Korean envoy to the ROK-U.S. cost-sharing talks, right, shakes hands with his U.S. counterpart Timothy Betts before the seventh meeting held at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., last Sept. 19. Korea Times file

By Jung Da-min

North Korea is using a tug-of-war between the U.S. and South Korea over sharing costs for the presence of the 28,500 personnel of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) as leverage to strengthen its argument that the South should unite with the North to fight against foreign powers.

North Korea's party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday published an editorial titled "the intention behind the demand to increase defense costs," where it said the U.S. is not treating the South as its ally. It said the U.S. is only pursuing its own interests while hampering the progress of peace talks between the two Koreas.

"That the U.S. is demanding the increase of South Korea's share of defense costs runs counter to the current tension-easing atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula," the editorial said. "The South and North are committed to alleviating military tension on the Korean Peninsula and taking steps to effectively deal with the danger of war by implementing the measures agreed by the two sides through the Panmunjeom Declaration and September Pyongyang joint declaration."

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Under such conditions, it said, "it is anachronistic to demand the increase of defense costs contribution by imposing the costs of the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula."

It argued if the South Korea's share of military costs were increased, it would lead to increased military tension.

Despite 10 rounds of negotiations led by veteran diplomats last year, the U.S. and South Korea failed to reach an agreement on the level of cost sharing.

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris visited Cheong Wa Dae in an apparent move to pressure Seoul on the issue, Seoul-based daily newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported Monday.

According to the report, Harris said Washington may consider "implementing the South Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty in a different way," during a closed-door meeting with national security adviser Chung Eui-yong. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul refused to comment on the matter.