Trump wants South Korea to pay more troops on his soil

Expenditure for conducting US troops in the Union countries has become a favorite theme of US President Donald Trump since his first term in the White House.

But since more and more countries are trying to make a deal to avoid greeting tariffs on the second term, Trump makes his own steps: the inclusion of trade, tariffs and distribution of defense costs in a single comprehensive deal, which he called “one stop.”

One of these countries in his sight is South Korea, living about 28,500 US troops known as the US forces. April 8 Trump wrote about the truth of the social What he discussed “Pay for the Great Military Defense, which we provide South Korea”, among other issues, with the then president of the DAK-S.

“We educate other items that do not spread to trade and tariffs, and make them talk.” One stop shopping ” – a beautiful and effective process !!!” Trump wrote.

While South Korean officials Reportedly stated that defense payments out of the tableTwo presidential candidates, Li Jo-Min and Kim.They hinted that they were open to discuss the cost distribution agreement.

However, analysts said CNBC that the transactional approach would not necessarily work for the US.

At the Munich Security Conference in February, The then Minister of Defense of English Chicken Singapore He said: “They said that trade and safety are two sides of one coin, and it can be believed that the safety alliance will be monitored as the trade dependencies.”

But the image of the United States in Asia, NG said, “changed from the liberator to a large offender on the landlord seeking rent.”

The US president is likely to lead to defensive payments in trade negotiations, Bruce Bennett, Professor of Policy Analysis at the Rand State Policy School, CNBC said.

“It’s the way he is doing business,” Bennet said. “So, it’s not like he certainly wants to bring troops home, but it’s a matter that he wants to recognize and accept responsibility from our allies.“He added.

This was the position we supported in accordance with the Elbridge Colby Defense Minister who said in an interview with 2024 that the US Korea’s forces should be recalculated to be “more relevant” to handle China, unlike North Korea.

One way to South Korea can “pay more” is to invest in your strength and buy more US military equipment, Bennett said.

This will allow the South Korean military to connect any gaps in the capabilities, allowing us to focus more on China more, he added.

“(If) the Korean government says we are voluntarily going … to raise our budget by $ 3 or $ 4 billion, we will use it to buy equipment so that the US can change the focus, I think it will be a long way to meet the president’s interests.”

South Korea spent 2.6% of its GDP on defense in 2024, more than an average of 2.5%, and one of the highest in the world, reports Stockholm International Institute for Peace.

In 2025 the country was allocated 61.25 trillion South Korean wins ($ 43.83 billion) for protection or 3.1% compared to a year earlier.

However, such a transaction approach will damage the US authority, Hoshik told us, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the State University of Jacksonville.

The use of US forces deployment as impact in trade negotiations can lead close allies to perception of commitments in the US as less reliable, added us.

“In the long run, this position can remake the United States as an isolated superpower.”

South Korea does not need to make any financial contribution to the original agreement with the US in 1966 to troops located in a country known as the The status of the forces agreement.

Expenditure exchange became only a feature of the alliance in 1991 when Seoul agreed to share Some of the burden of deployment of US troops in three fields, namely logistics, local work and military construction.

We explained to us that the rapid economic growth of South Korea since the 1960s has created conditions for cost exchange.

“Both countries also agreed that their relationship should go beyond the simple dynamics of assistance and recipient,” he said.

We told us.

“As for the construction, most projects are carried out by Korean construction companies. In terms of logistics, equipment, services and facilities, Korean companies are provided,” – emphasized us.

In October 2024, Seoul agreed Increase your contribution For the conduct of US troops by 8.3% in 2026 to 1.52 trillion won ($ 1.13 billion).

However, Trump’s “one stop” position to translate trading with defense agreements may abandon the latest Biden Administration Expenditure Agreement, given that this 2024 Agreement covers the period 2026-2030.