Trump Administration Reportedly Wants South Korea to Pay $1.2 Billion Annually for US-ROK Alliance
South Korea paid ~$860 million this year for USFK cost sharing. South Korean negotiators have been trying to keep cost sharing increases below the $1 billion level. The Trump administration however, wants the ROK to pay $1.2 billion instead:
But an even bigger concern is that Washington and Seoul have failed to agree on dividing the cost of keeping U.S. troops here despite 10 rounds of talks so far. The Trump administration wants to double the South Korean share, but this year South Korea already paid W960.2 billion or half of the total upkeep cost (US$1=W1,126). Trump’s demand in short comes down to asking Seoul to pay for pretty much the entire upkeep. The Wall Street Journal said Trump’s negotiators asked for a 50-percent hike or US$1.2 billion. That is a huge increase considering the fact that Seoul’s share has grown only by 2.5 to 25.7 percent each year since 1991.
Chosun Ilbo
South Korean officials are reluctant to talk about the issue, which is extremely sensitive in the domestic political situation, while U.S. officials are merely saying there are “very big differences” between the two sides. There is a possibility of Trump threatening to pull U.S. troops out in order to pressure Seoul to pay more. He has been treating most diplomatic alliances from the perspective of whether they support the U.S. rather than in the traditional way of spreading the Pax Americana around the globe.
There is no telling what Trump will do to get South Korea to pay more, nor how Seoul will react — it could end up telling the Americans to leave or stoke anti-U.S. sentiment.
You can read more at the link, but considering the access to advanced technology and training that the ROK receives from USFK, asking for $1.2 billion a year is a reasonable request in my opinion.
