"South Korea Pays Almost Nothing for Defense Costs"…Trump's Another False Claim

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump once again claimed that South Korea has hardly contributed to the defense costs of U.S. forces stationed in Korea. He also exaggerated the size of the U.S. forces in Korea, stating it as 42,000 troops.

According to a video posted on RSBN and other outlets on the 13th (local time), Trump made these remarks during a campaign rally held on the 11th in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump [Image source=Yonhap News]

Trump said, "We have 42,000 soldiers, and Korea has hardly paid us," adding, "I changed that." He continued, "As far as I know, Biden wants to break that (defense cost-sharing agreement)," and said, "He (President Joe Biden) thinks I was too tough and that they (Korea) paid too much."

Targeting Korea, he also claimed, "They took our shipbuilding industry, took our computer industry, and many other industries," and said, "They made a lot of money, and they can pay for their military."

Earlier, in a Time magazine interview released on the 30th of last month, Trump incorrectly mentioned the number of U.S. troops in Korea as 40,000 and said, "I want Korea to treat us properly." In March last year, on social media (SNS), he mentioned the number as 35,000 and claimed that there was a negotiation between Korea and him in which (Korea) fully paid the costs to the U.S.

The actual size of the U.S. forces in Korea averages around 28,500 troops. South Korea regularly signs the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) with the U.S. to share the costs of stationing U.S. forces in Korea.

During Trump's administration, in the 11th SMA negotiations in November 2019, the U.S. demanded that South Korea increase its contribution by nearly six times the existing amount, up to $5 billion. The negotiations stalled due to the sudden increase demand but were settled at 1.1833 trillion won in 2021 after the Biden administration took office, with an agreement to raise the amount annually in line with increases in South Korea's defense budget. Negotiations for the 12th SMA, which will apply from the year after next starting last month, are currently underway.