Trump claims South Korea pays 'very little' for USFK upkeep

By Im Yoon-seo Posted : July 9, 2025, 11:22 Updated : July 9, 2025, 11:29
US President Donald Trump participates in a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on July 8 2025 UPI-Yonhap
U.S. President Donald Trump (center) attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 8, 2025. UPI-Yonhap
SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump once again raised the issue Tuesday that South Korea is paying "very little" for the upkeep of maintaining some 28,500 U.S. troops here, arguing that it should pay for its own defense.

"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.
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