At a recent Chicago event, former President Donald Trump outlined a tough stance on U.S.-South Korea relations, claiming that, under his administration, South Korea would be paying $10 billion annually to host American forces. In an interview with Bloomberg’s Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait, Trump asserted, “We protect them from North Korea and from other people… they’d be happy to pay.”
Currently, South Korea contributes around $1.13 billion under a multi-year agreement, but Trump argued that this amount is insufficient given South Korea’s wealth. He recalled pressuring Seoul to increase its payments during his presidency, proposing steep hikes that would require $2 billion one year and $5 billion the next. Trump contended South Korean officials “were the happiest people” when President Joe Biden assumed office, claiming they “cut off” Trump’s original deal and returned to lower payments under Biden.
With tensions on the Korean Peninsula at an all-time high—amid North Korea’s nuclear advancements and hostile rhetoric toward the South—Trump painted a “very serious” picture of the region’s stability, underscoring his belief that South Korea should contribute substantially more for U.S. military support.
