Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Reduction of USFK Never Mentioned in ROK-US Defense Cost-Sharing Talks"

Donald Trump, U.S. President, Plans to Reduce U.S. Troops Stationed in Germany

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that the issue of reducing U.S. Forces Korea was never raised during the negotiations of the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the United States.

On the 16th, Lee Jae-woong, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained at a regular briefing in response to a question about the possible impact on U.S. Forces Korea following U.S. President Donald Trump's official announcement of reducing U.S. troops in Germany, saying, "The reduction of U.S. Forces Korea was never mentioned during the defense cost-sharing negotiations."

The government has maintained the position that the issue of reducing U.S. Forces Korea has not been raised during the ongoing negotiations since September last year. Deputy spokesperson Lee said, "The government is making efforts to conclude the defense cost-sharing agreement as soon as possible through close consultations with the U.S. side." The prolonged defense cost-sharing negotiations have now entered their sixth month without an agreement.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned reducing U.S. troops in Germany and added, "The reduction of U.S. troops is not only about Germany." This remark stemmed from dissatisfaction with Germany's military spending contributions, and some observers suggested it implied a possible impact on U.S. Forces Korea, where disagreements over defense cost-sharing payments still persist.

President Trump told reporters at the White House, "We protect Germany, but they are not fulfilling their obligations. This is unacceptable." He continued, "Germany is the only country that has not agreed to pay what they owe, and until they pay, we will reduce the number of soldiers by about half." According to the Associated Press and other sources, the U.S. plans to reduce U.S. troops in Germany to 25,000.

This means cutting the force of approximately 52,000 personnel in half. This is the first time President Trump has directly mentioned the reduction of U.S. troops in Germany. NATO member countries, including Germany, have pledged to increase their defense spending to 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but Germany's defense spending ratio is only 1.36%. Foreign media reported that neither the White House nor the Department of Defense has made official comments regarding President Trump's remarks.

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