U.S. troops in S. Korea

[Anchor]

Here’s an in-depth look at the upcoming Trump second term.

With the foreign and security team being filled with "America First" advocates, there are speculations about potential changes in the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea.

There is also a possibility that pressure to increase security costs will intensify.

Reporter Song Geum-han has examined the expected challenges.

[Report]

Mark Esper, former Secretary of Defense during Trump's first term, recalled that when President Trump advocated for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea, then Secretary of State Pompeo suggested, "Let's make that a priority for the second term," which barely stopped the withdrawal.

The moderate faction that had discouraged the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea is not visible in the second-term administration.

Instead, figures like Richard Grenell, who openly discussed the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea, are being appointed to key roles, such as special envoy. Elbridge Colby, who has advocated for using U.S. troops in South Korea to counter China, has been named Deputy Secretary of Defense.

[Elbridge Colby/Nominee for U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense/May 2024: "The U.S. forces should continue to be deployed on the Peninsula. But those forces should be focused on the defense of South Korea from China."]

There are forecasts that there will be changes in the size or nature of U.S. troops in South Korea, but the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2025, which maintains the current level of U.S. troops, went into effect last month, leading to many analyses suggesting that the likelihood of immediate changes is low.

That said, Trump could leverage the “withdrawal of U.S. troops” as a bargaining chip to demand significantly higher defense cost-sharing.

During his candidacy, Trump stated that South Korea is a 'money machine' and that if it were him, he would have made them pay $10 billion for defense costs.

This is more than nine times the amount scheduled for next year's cost-sharing.

[Seo Jung-kun/Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Kyung Hee University: "It's not that Trump wants to withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea or that he will go in that direction, but theoretically, he could use that card regarding defense cost-sharing, and the key will be whether we can secure what we want within a reasonable range."]

Last year, the South Korean government reached a five-year agreement on defense cost-sharing with the Biden administration, valid through 2030.

However, Japan is in a situation where it needs to start cost-sharing negotiations, so it seems that the Trump 2nd term administration will not immediately bring out the renegotiation card for us.

However, experts warn that there is a possibility of sudden renegotiation demands or additional costs outside the current agreement, highlighting the need for preparation.

This is KBS News, Song Geum-han.