Trump pushes for ninefold increase in defense cost

U.S. President Donald Trump on July 8 singled out South Korea, claiming it “pays almost nothing” for the stationing of American troops and saying “they should pay for their own defense.” His remarks followed the previous day’s release of a “tariff letter” directed at South Korea and Japan. This latest comment raised renewed allegations that Seoul is free-riding on U.S. security guarantees. With Washington’s 25 percent reciprocal tariffs set to take effect on August 1, South Korea now faces intense trade negotiations, and Trump’s blunt remarks suggest he intends to link defense burden-sharing, U.S. troop costs, and trade into a single package deal.

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump suddenly pivoted from discussing America’s trade deficit and tariff policy to criticizing South Korea. “We rebuilt South Korea and continued to station troops there,” he said. “They paid a very small amount for that.” He added, “During my first term, I told them they should pay $10 billion per year. They agreed to increase it by $3 billion, but we couldn’t pursue it further due to a rigged election.”

South Korea agreed last year with the Biden administration to pay 1.5192 trillion won for next year’s defense cost-sharing. Trump’s claim implies he expects Seoul to pay nearly nine times more. Some analysts interpret his comments as evidence that Trump views the U.S. as being exploited by South Korea, pointing to trade deficits and allegedly unfair trade agreements.

Trump also exaggerated the size of the U.S. troop presence in South Korea, claiming there are 45,000 troops stationed, while the actual number is about 28,500. “We’re pouring massive amounts of money into them,” he said, “and we’re losing a tremendous amount.” He added that the U.S. is currently “discussing this matter in a very respectful manner,” suggesting that negotiations on cost-sharing may already be underway.

There is growing concern that a future Trump administration may openly demand that South Korea increase not only its share of U.S. troop costs but also its overall defense budget. Last month, the U.S. Department of Defense stated that Asian allies, including South Korea, should spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense. South Korea’s 2025 defense budget stands at 61.25 trillion won, or 2.32 percent of its GDP. A diplomatic source in Washington said, “It appears increasingly difficult to separate trade issues from security negotiations with the United States.”


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com