On the 8th local time, President Trump spoke at a cabinet meeting.
On the 8th local time, President Donald Trump stated at a White House cabinet meeting that South Korea should cover its own military defense costs and implied that South Korea needs to pay more for the US troops stationed in South Korea.
Trump remarked that the presence of US forces brings significant economic benefits to South Korea, while it represents a significant loss for the United States, which is highly unfair. He mentioned that he had previously asked South Korea to agree to pay more for the US forces stationed in South Korea during his first term, but “President Biden canceled this agreement.” Trump noted that the United States provides supplies to many very successful countries’ armies, but they should be responsible for their own military expenses.
It is reported that South Korea currently hosts approximately 28,500 US troops. Trump has previously stated that if countries do not pay more maintenance fees, he might withdraw US forces stationed overseas.
Moreover, on the same day, Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on imports from South Korea. (Report by Zhao Miao, Zhang Yun, CCTV)