한미, 방위비 협정 정식 서명…"4월 발효 목표"

South Korea and the U.S. signed a one-year deal that raises Seoul's share of defense spending on Friday.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris inked the deal this afternoon, raising the country's share of the defense burden by 8-point-2 percent.
The signing comes as South Korea agreed to pay some 920 million U.S. dollars to support American troops stationed in Korea.
The government has completed administrative procedures with Cabinet approval earlier this week, and is expecting the deal to be ratified by the parliament by the end of this month so that it can take effect in April.