"We rebuilt South Korea. We stayed there..... and they pay us very little for the military," Trump said during a cabinet meeting at the White House, while falsely claiming that 45,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. "South Korea is making a lot of money, and they're very good..... but, you know, they should be paying for their own military," he added.
Recalling cost-sharing negotiations with Seoul under the so-called Special Measures Agreement (SMA) during his first term, he also claimed he had demanded that South Korea pay US$10 billion per year for the upkeep of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
"I said for South Korea as an example, you know, we give you free military, essentially very little, and I think you should pay us $10 billion a year," he said.
But the deal, in fact, did not proceed, which he blamed on a "rigged election," while South Korea later reached an agreement to shoulder $1.03 billion under the former U.S. President Joe Biden administration.
The agreement is currently scheduled to take effect from 2026 and remain in place until 2030, with annual adjustments based on consumer price inflation.
reporter
Im Yoon-seo
lyseo0330@ajupress.com
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