Bolton Criticizes Trump Administration's Moves to Withdraw US Forces from South Korea: "Abandoning an Ally"

Source: Former U.S. National Security Advisor to the White House John Bolton's Twitter

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Council (NSC) advisor, criticized the Trump administration's move to reduce U.S. troops in South Korea on the 19th (local time).

On the same day, Bolton posted on his Twitter a link to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial titled "Trump Withdrawal from Korea?" and wrote, "A withdrawing America cannot be great again." He added, "Withdrawing troops from South Korea and Germany sends the wrong message to authoritarian governments and abandons close allies."

Earlier, WSJ reported that it had obtained news that President Trump was pressuring the Department of Defense to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Germany, and South Korea. Upon hearing these rumors, WSJ immediately made calls for coverage and learned that the focus was on Afghanistan, and that South Korea and Germany would be "safe" during this election year.

Regarding this report, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense reaffirmed its previous stance on the 20th, stating, "There have been no discussions between South Korea and the U.S. regarding adjustments to the size of U.S. forces in Korea." Furthermore, Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Moon Hong-sik said, "The South Korea-U.S. defense authorities are closely consulting on holding the defense ministers' meeting via a phone conference," adding, "However, it is understood that the issue of adjusting the size of U.S. forces in Korea will not be discussed at that meeting."

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