Trump Questions South Korea Defense as Pentagon Weighs 4,500-Troop Cut Over Iran Stance
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 18
Trump Questions South Korea Defense as Pentagon Weighs 4,500-Troop Cut Over Iran Stance
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 18
Summary
Trump said Monday the U.S. should reconsider protecting South Korea after Seoul declined his request to support U.S. operations tied to Iran, framing the issue as one of fairness.
4,500 U.S. troops are under Pentagon review for possible redeployment from South Korea to elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, even as Congress has generally opposed reducing the American presence there.
28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, where annual joint exercises with about 18,000 South Korean troops began Monday despite Trump’s long-running criticism that the drills are costly and provoke North Korea.
North Korea’s ballistic missile tests last week sharpen the stakes for any shift in force posture, while tensions with Seoul also extend to burden-sharing and South Korea’s still-unallocated $200 billion investment pledge.