Trump Pressures South Korea to Pay More for US Troop Presence Amid Trade Disputes

By Staff, Agencies

President Donald Trump reiterated on Tuesday that South Korea should bear more of the financial burden for hosting American troops, criticizing what he described as an unfair arrangement and linking defense costs to ongoing trade tensions.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said, “It’s very unfair. We supply the militaries to many very successful countries. South Korea is making a lot of money, and they’re very good, but they should be paying for their own military.”

Trump claimed that during his first term, he had pressured Seoul to increase its payments for the US military presence, securing $3 billion with a phone call, though he had demanded $10 billion annually. He also criticized President Joe Biden for allegedly canceling that earlier agreement. “I said to South Korea... you know, we give you free military, essentially, very little,” Trump stated, adding that future negotiations would be necessary. Reuters has not verified these specific claims.

The president emphasized that US troop deployments abroad are a major economic benefit to host countries, likening them to “a city” that brings “tremendous money” to local economies while being a “tremendous loss” for the US.

South Korea currently hosts around 28,500 US troops, a legacy of the Korean War, and depends heavily on the US nuclear umbrella for protection against North Korea, China and Russia. The American presence also plays a strategic role in projecting US military power across East Asia.

In the final months of Biden’s first year in office, Washington and Seoul reached a five-year agreement under which South Korea would raise its annual contribution by 8.3% to $1.47 billion, with future increases tied to inflation. Trump has repeatedly argued that South Korea should pay significantly more, and has floated troop withdrawals as leverage in past negotiations.

He made the latest comments just one day after announcing a 25% tariff on South Korean imports, further intensifying trade friction. Although a recent Wall Street Journal report claimed the US was considering withdrawing 4,500 troops from South Korea, the Pentagon denied the story in May.