Trump Brings Up South Korea Defense Cost Increase Again While Discussing Saudi Arabia

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that South Korea will have to pay much more for defense cost-sharing. He raised the issue of South Korea again while discussing the deployment of U.S. troops in the Middle East.

On the 10th (local time), President Trump mentioned South Korea during an interview with Fox News while answering questions about the deployment of troops to the Middle East. President Trump said, "To Saudi Arabia, 'You are a very wealthy country. You want more troops,'" and added, "We are trying to send them (troops) to you, but you have to pay us (the costs)."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After mentioning that "Saudi Arabia has already deposited 1 billion dollars," President Trump brought up South Korea.

He said, "South Korea gave us 500 million dollars," and added, "We are stationing 32,000 troops in South Korea to protect you from North Korea." He referred to South Korea's main products such as TVs and shipbuilding, claiming, "They took those away from us."

President Trump also hinted at an additional increase in defense costs, saying, "They (South Korea) will pay us much more." However, the 500 million dollars differs from President Trump's earlier claims. Previously, President Trump stated that the demanded defense cost was 5 billion dollars. Last year, South Korea agreed to pay approximately 1.0389 trillion won, close to 1 billion dollars.

South Korea and the United States are scheduled to hold the 6th meeting for the conclusion of the 11th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) over two days on the 14th and 15th in Washington DC. At the 5th meeting held last month, the gap in positions was significantly narrowed, but it is still known to be large.

Within the United States, there is growing opposition to President Trump's demand for an increase in defense costs from the South Korean government, arguing that it is excessive.

Henry Olsen, a Washington Post (WP) columnist, argued this in a column titled "Lay off South Korea, Mr. President" on the 7th. He pointed out, "In 2018, South Korea's defense budget ranked in the top 10 worldwide at 43 billion dollars, most of which is spent on purchasing U.S. weapons such as F-35 fighter jets," and added, "South Korea should not be considered like NATO allies in Europe."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that South Korea proposed an amount for the defense cost-sharing of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea that is 4-8% higher than last year. However, it pointed out that the U.S. should present a reasonable cost plan regarding the defense cost-sharing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.