Mark Esper (L) and S.Korean Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo (R) hold a joint press conference at the Defence Ministry in Seoul on Friday. Jung Yeon-Je/ AFP

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says South Korea is wealthy enough to pay a bigger share of the cost of having US troops on its soil.

He was asked at a joint news conference on Friday with his South Korean counterpart about negotiations on renewing an agreement under which Seoul plays a portion of the cost of having about 28,000 American troops to buttress defenses against North Korea.

Esper says the South’s wealth means - in his words – “it could and should pay more.”

South Korea currently pays a little under $1 billion a year for US military support. South Korean press reports say Washington is demanding that Seoul pay about $4.7 billion. Neither Esper nor his South Korean counterpart confirmed that figure.

Associated Press