Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has pressured South Korea for two consecutive days to increase its defense cost contributions.
On Wednesday, Trump falsely claimed that South Korea “doesn’t pay” for the 42,000 U.S. troops he said are stationed in the country. He also asserted that he had secured payments from South Korea during his presidency but that negotiations stalled under President Joe Biden. “I told South Korea, I’m sorry, you’re going to have to pay for your military. We have 40,000 troops over there. You’re going to have to pay. You’ve become a very wealthy country,” Trump said.
However, CNN quickly pointed out inaccuracies in Trump’s remarks. According to official figures, the actual number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea is closer to 27,000, not 42,000. CNN also noted that South Korea agreed to pay more under the Biden administration than during Trump’s first term.
During a discussion in Chicago on Tuesday, Trump referred to South Korea as “a money machine” and claimed that had he won reelection, South Korea would have been paying $10 billion annually for defense costs.
Earlier this month, South Korea and the U.S. agreed to increase Seoul’s defense cost contributions for 2026 by 8.3%, setting the amount at 1.5192 trillion KRW ($1.1 billion). The agreement includes provisions for annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) until 2030. Despite this agreement, Trump’s calls to further raise payments during his campaign rallies suggest that renegotiating these terms could be on the table if he returns to office.
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