Former US President Donald Trump is infamous for distorting and exaggerating details to hunt political acquire. By doing so, particularly forward of the US presidential election on Nov. 5, he usually inflicts collateral injury on harmless folks. A placing instance of this sample is the allegation he has made about protection cost-sharing with South Korea.
On Tuesday, Trump mentioned that South Korea would pay $10 billion a yr — about 9 occasions what Seoul at the moment pays — for the stationing of US Forces Korea if he wins the presidential race. And he referred to South Korea as a “cash machine,” which sparked a torrent of criticism from the Korean public and despatched media shops scrambling to interpret what he meant.
Trump’s underlying logic is that the US is paying an excessive amount of for prices linked to the USFK, so the Korean authorities ought to pay excess of it does now, and Korea, within the eyes of Trump, is a “cash machine” that may afford to pay.
Some media right here took Trump’s phrases to imply he thinks Korea is a “wealthy nation,” whereas others recommended the Republican presidential candidate thinks of Korea as a type of ATM from which he can withdraw cash freely.
Both manner, his message has not been effectively acquired in Korea, and there are a number of causes. First, Trump is seemingly trying to drive a wedge between Korea and the US by negatively depicting current cost-sharing relations.
Over the previous many years, the 2 nations have labored collectively in numerous fields together with protection surrounding the Korean Peninsula beneath the “iron-clad” alliance, and since 1991, Seoul has shared the prices of Korean nationwide USFK employees, army facility development and different help beneath the Particular Measures Settlement.
This yr, Seoul and Washington began negotiations in April and concluded them this month on account of bilateral results to provide what Seoul’s International Ministry known as “an inexpensive final result.”
Beneath the newest SMA that may run by means of 2030, Seoul is ready to pay 1.52 trillion received ($1.14 billion) in 2026, marking a rise from the 1.4 trillion received it’ll pay this yr.
Trump’s insinuation that Seoul is attempting to keep away from shouldering its justifiable share of the prices is, subsequently, attribute of his trademark low-level mixture of enterprise wheeling and dealing and threats to maximise his political factors so as to attraction to his base within the US.
Second, Trump doesn’t trouble to test the details, a power dangerous behavior that might lead to disastrous outcomes in worldwide commerce and protection offers with different international locations within the occasion that he wins reelection.
On Wednesday, Trump mentioned throughout a Fox Information city corridor occasion in Georgia, “South Korea … We now have 42,000 troopers there. They do not pay.” The primary false declare that needs to be corrected is that the US has in actuality stationed 28,500 USFK service members in Korea, and the second proven fact that has not reached Trump’s thoughts but is that Korea continues to pay for the protection value beneath the bilateral SMA negotiations.
Trump additionally mentioned the US “can’t be taken benefit of any longer in commerce and within the army,” suggesting that he would go forward with the renegotiation of protection cost-sharing with Seoul if he’s reelected.
Specialists in Seoul speculate that Trump is probably going to make use of the identical ways he used when he was in workplace 2017-2021, specifically, threatening to cut back or withdraw the USFK, which angered many in Korea.
Trump falsely claims that Korea is “free-riding” on the US protection value, however the truth is that Korea and the US are actually sharing the USFK value in a good method. Moreover, Korea’s protection funds is 2.5 % of the nation’s gross home product, which is above the two % yardstick of the North Atlantic Treaty Group.
If Trump wins the US presidential race, he’s feared to pose dangers on many fronts together with concerning protection cost-sharing and free commerce agreements. Seoul ought to brace for extra fact-distorting threats from Trump till the election and put together for the worst-case state of affairs.