Trump Demands South Korea Pay Up for Military Support: Is the Alliance in Jeopardy?

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized South Korea for its minimal financial contributions to America’s military support, suggesting that the Asian ally should bear more responsibility for its own defense. This statement comes amid growing expectations that he will push Seoul to significantly increase its defense spending.

During a Cabinet meeting, Trump’s remarks fueled speculation that his administration might demand a sharp increase in South Korea’s contributions toward national defense and the costs associated with maintaining the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). “We rebuilt South Korea. We stayed there. It’s okay. We rebuilt it,” Trump stated. “And we stayed there, and they pay us very little for the military.” Trump portrayed South Korea as a prosperous nation, intensifying pressure on the country to boost its defense budget. “We supply the militaries to many… very successful countries. I mean, South Korea is making a lot of money and they are very good,” he added. “But you know, they should be paying for their military.” Recalling defense cost-sharing negotiations with Seoul during his first term, Trump highlighted the strain on the bilateral alliance caused by his insistence on a significant increase in South Korea’s financial contributions for maintaining USFK. “I got them to pay billions of dollars, and Biden then canceled it when he came in,” Trump claimed. “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 continued, “And they went crazy, but they agreed to three. So I got three with a phone call. I was satisfied. I said, but next year we have to talk. And then we had a rigged election, and we never got to talk.” Trump speculated that Biden had been persuaded by South Korea to reduce the defense costs to nothing. “They probably went to him and said, ‘Listen, Trump treated us terribly, and we shouldn’t be paying anything.’ And he cut it down to nothing,” Trump said. “That’s what happens. It’s ridiculous.” During the 2019 defense cost negotiations, Trump notably sought a fivefold increase in Seoul’s payment for USFK to $5 billion. This demand raised concerns about potentially jeopardizing security cooperation between the allies amid North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats. On the campaign trail last year, Trump claimed that South Korea would be paying $10 billion annually for the USFK presence if he were still in the White House. He also referred to the Asian ally as a “money machine.” In the Cabinet meeting, Trump inaccurately stated that there are 45,000 U.S. soldiers in Korea, asserting that USFK personnel and other American troops in Germany benefit those countries’ economies. “You know, that’s a huge economic development for them. That’s a tremendous amount. That’s like having a city,” he said. “It’s tremendous money for them, and it’s a tremendous loss for us. In a very nice way, we are talking to them about it.” Trump’s comments overlooked South Korea’s long-standing contributions to the USFK presence since 1991. Under a defense cost-sharing agreement known as the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), Seoul has partially covered costs for Korean USFK workers, the construction of military facilities, and other logistical support. Last year, Seoul and Washington signed the latest SMA for the 2026-2030 period, committing Korea to pay 1.52 trillion KRW (1.14 billion USD) next year, an increase from 1.4 trillion KRW (1.05 billion USD) this year. Beyond the USFK costs, the Pentagon recently stated that South Korea and other Asian allies are now expected to adhere to a new global standard of spending 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. This shift comes as the U.S. prioritizes countering the growing threat from an increasingly assertive China. (Yonhap)