In a move which surprised many South Koreans, United States ambassador to South Korea Harry Binkley Harris shaved off his moustache to keep himself "cool" in the summer heat but experts believed it was a move to refurbish his image as South Koreans thought the controversial moustache reminded them of Japanese governor-generals when Korea was a Japanese colony from 1940-45.

Harris whose mother was a Japanese had reportedly told the local South Korean media two years ago that he had decided to grow the moustache as a sign of starting a career as a diplomat in the country but South Koreans felt his moustache harked back to the colonial era.

Harris had said that he would shave it off if it hurt relations between the United States and South Korea as the top diplomat's moustache became the focus of attention.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Glad I did this. For me it was either keep the 'stache or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot &amp; humid for both. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID</a> guidelines matter &amp; I'm a masked man! Enjoyed getting to know Mr. Oh &amp; appreciated his heartfelt words about how much he values the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USROKAlliance?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USROKAlliance</a>. <a href="https://t.co/ja2WMD49Fr">https://t.co/ja2WMD49Fr</a>
— Harry Harris (@USAmbROK) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAmbROK/status/1286830445389180929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In a tweet, Harris said: "Glad I did this. For me it was either keep the 'stache' or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot &amp; humid for both. COVID-19 guidelines matter &amp; I'm a masked man!"

Harris decided to do something "cooler" to get rid of the "stache"&nbsp;in the hot and humid South Korean summer and wore a mask to comply with the coronavirus guideline of South Korea as the country&nbsp;has witnessed&nbsp;a major spurt in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

Harris's "moustache"&nbsp;manoeuvre comes even as the Trump administration and the South Korean government have been at loggerheads in recent years as the US president has insisted that Seoul pay a larger share of the cost of US military forces deployed in the country.

At least 28,000-32,000 US troops are stationed in the United States with Seoul paying up to billion dollars a year towards the US troop presence. Trump has however asked for a bigger percentage.

In a move which surprised many South Koreans, United States ambassador to South Korea Harry Binkley Harris shaved off his moustache to keep himself "cool" in the summer heat but experts believed it was a move to refurbish his image as South Koreans thought the controversial moustache reminded them of Japanese governor-generals when Korea was a Japanese colony from 1940-45.

In a move which surprised many South Koreans, United States ambassador to South Korea Harry Binkley Harris shaved off his moustache to keep himself "cool" in the summer heat but experts believed it was a move to refurbish his image as South Koreans thought the controversial moustache reminded them of Japanese governor-generals when Korea was a Japanese colony from 1940-45. Harris whose mother was a Japanese had reportedly told the local South Korean media two years ago that he had decided to grow the moustache as a sign of starting a career as a diplomat in the country but South Koreans felt his moustache harked back to the colonial era. Harris had said that he would shave it off if it hurt relations between the United States and South Korea as the top diplomat's moustache became the focus of attention. Glad I did this. For me it was either keep the 'stache or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot & humid for both. #COVID guidelines matter & I'm a masked man! Enjoyed getting to know Mr. Oh & appreciated his heartfelt words about how much he values the #USROKAlliance. https://t.co/ja2WMD49Fr — Harry Harris (@USAmbROK) July 25, 2020 × In a tweet, Harris said: "Glad I did this. For me it was either keep the 'stache' or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot & humid for both. COVID-19 guidelines matter & I'm a masked man!" Harris decided to do something "cooler" to get rid of the "stache" in the hot and humid South Korean summer and wore a mask to comply with the coronavirus guideline of South Korea as the country has witnessed a major spurt in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Harris's "moustache" manoeuvre comes even as the Trump administration and the South Korean government have been at loggerheads in recent years as the US president has insisted that Seoul pay a larger share of the cost of US military forces deployed in the country. At least 28,000-32,000 US troops are stationed in the United States with Seoul paying up to billion dollars a year towards the US troop presence. Trump has however asked for a bigger percentage.

US ambassador to South Korea shaves off moustache, guess why?

South Korea's defence ministry said today that talks on settling the cost of hosting US military in the country had broken off even as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-south-korea-resume-defence-cost-sharing-talks-after-trumps-5-bn-demand-gets-dubbed-as-robbery-262883">US negotiator&nbsp;</a>James DeHart said Washington had "cut short" the meeting to give Seoul "some time to reconsider".

"Our position is that it should be within the mutually acceptable Special Measures Agreement (SMA) framework that has been agreed upon by South Korea and the US for the past 28 years," South Korea's foreign ministry said.

"The US believes that the share of defence spending should be increased significantly by creating a new category," the ministry added.

The US is seeking $5 billion a year to ensure the presence of American&nbsp;military in South Korea, a sum&nbsp;which President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded.

"Unfortunately, the proposals that were put forward by the Korean team were not responsive to our request for fair and equitable burden-sharing," US negotiator DeHart told reporters.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it would work to keep contributions to a "reasonable" level and "within the range that is mutually acceptable".

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper had said earlier that South Korea is "a wealthy country and could and should pay more to offset the cost of defence".

Jeong Eun-bo, the South's chief negotiator said the "US side walked out first" even as&nbsp;DeHart said officials had "cut short" the meeting in order to allow South Korean officials more time.

The US-South Korean dispute comes as the two countries decided not to hold <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-wants-united-states-to-end-joint-drills-with-south-korea-to-resume-talks-263025">military exercises this month </a>in a bid to allow North Korea to resume talks on denuclearisation which has been deadlocked for months.

South Korea's defence ministry said today that talks on settling the cost of hosting US military in the country had broken off even as US negotiator James DeHart said Washington had "cut short" the meeting to give Seoul "some time to reconsider".

South Korea's defence ministry said today that talks on settling the cost of hosting US military in the country had broken off even as US negotiator James DeHart said Washington had "cut short" the meeting to give Seoul "some time to reconsider". "Our position is that it should be within the mutually acceptable Special Measures Agreement (SMA) framework that has been agreed upon by South Korea and the US for the past 28 years," South Korea's foreign ministry said. "The US believes that the share of defence spending should be increased significantly by creating a new category," the ministry added. The US is seeking $5 billion a year to ensure the presence of American military in South Korea, a sum which President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded. "Unfortunately, the proposals that were put forward by the Korean team were not responsive to our request for fair and equitable burden-sharing," US negotiator DeHart told reporters. South Korea's foreign ministry said it would work to keep contributions to a "reasonable" level and "within the range that is mutually acceptable". US Defense Secretary Mark Esper had said earlier that South Korea is "a wealthy country and could and should pay more to offset the cost of defence". Jeong Eun-bo, the South's chief negotiator said the "US side walked out first" even as DeHart said officials had "cut short" the meeting in order to allow South Korean officials more time. The US-South Korean dispute comes as the two countries decided not to hold military exercises this month in a bid to allow North Korea to resume talks on denuclearisation which has been deadlocked for months.

US 'cuts short' meeting with South Korea on military costs

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US ambassador to South Korea shaves off moustache, guess why?

US 'cuts short' meeting with South Korea on military costs