Trump presses allies, cites U.S. troop deployments

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States has 45,000 troops stationed in South Korea as he urged countries to join a military effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for Middle Eastern crude. His remarks underscored a transactional approach to security, pressing Seoul to take part more actively in potential U.S. operations against Iran on the grounds that Washington provides for Seoul’s defense. Some observers say the deployment issue could be tied to broader discussions over the size and role of U.S. Forces Korea and defense cost-sharing.

“We have to remember that we have 45,000 troops in Japan,” Trump told reporters. “We have 45,000 in South Korea and 45,000 to 50,000 in Germany.” He added, “We are defending all of these countries.”

Earlier, Trump had asked seven countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and France, to join a coalition to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. As those countries either declined or responded cautiously out of concern about being drawn into a wider conflict, Trump appeared to intensify pressure by directly raising the issue of U.S. security commitments. In particular, he significantly overstated the number of U.S. troops in South Korea, which stands at about 28,500.

The South Korean government has yet to take a clear position on a possible deployment. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Monday that it was “difficult to respond at this time” when asked whether the U.S. had requested South Korea’s participation in operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Asked by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Sang-wook whether there had been a formal request, Cho said, “It is a situation where one could say there was a request or not.”

In contrast, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee that the Ministry of National Defense “has not received any official request” from the United States regarding a troop deployment.

Meanwhile, Trump indicated he would delay a planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, originally set for late this month or early next month, by about a month. “I want to stay here because of the war,” he said. “I asked them to postpone it by about a month.”


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com