US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia Pressures for Increased Contributions... "No Consideration of USFK Withdrawal"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Mark Napier, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, pressured South Korea and Japan to increase their defense cost-sharing contributions in negotiations. However, he emphasized that at this point, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea and Japan is not under consideration at all.

According to Kyodo News and others, Deputy Assistant Secretary Napier said on the 24th (local time) during a press briefing on the U.S.-Japan alliance, in response to a question about whether President Donald Trump's push to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East would also apply to Japan, South Korea, or other Asian countries, "No. No. That is not the case."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Napier stated, "We highly value our obligations under treaties with these countries," adding, "Our obligations to South Korea and Japan under our security alliances are sacred. We take them very seriously." He continued, "To be very clear, at this point, there is no discussion or consideration whatsoever about withdrawing or removing U.S. troops from Japan or South Korea."

Regarding the joint op-ed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 16th, which demanded an increase in South Korea's defense cost-sharing, Deputy Assistant Secretary Napier emphasized, "Let me be clear on this point. We truly appreciate what South Korea does every single day to support our bilateral alliance." He added, "That said, and as President Trump has indicated several times, we believe our allies can and should do more," noting that this applies not only to South Korea but also to other allies such as Japan.

David Stilwell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, also attended a seminar hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on the same day. In a Q&A session regarding the U.S.-Japan defense cost-sharing negotiations, he said, "(President Trump) has been very clear about the demand to meet the responsibility to adjust cost-sharing based on region, threats, and capabilities not only for South Korea and Japan but also for NATO and other countries."

South Korea and the U.S. are reportedly preparing final negotiations aiming to conclude the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea by February. Bloomberg News reported on the 23rd that the U.S. has warned that if the SMA is not concluded, it may notify approximately 9,000 Korean workers employed at U.S. military bases in South Korea of unpaid leave within weeks.