S. Korean civilian staff to go back to work at US military bases after agreement on funding

Thousands of South Koreans working at US military bases, who were furloughed in a row over funding for the American presence in the country, will go back to work this month after Seoul agreed to pay their wages.

The US has around 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, supposedly to defend it against the North and protect US interests in northeast Asia.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that it had come to an agreement with South Korea under which Seoul would finance thousands of Korean workers. The deal requires Seoul to pay more than $200 million to fund 4,000 Korean staff until the end of 2020.