[Anchor]
There are reports that the Trump administration is considering withdrawing about 4,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and relocating them to other regions such as Guam.
The Wall Street Journal, citing statements from key officials, reported that this is part of a review of North Korea policy.
Reporter Oh Soo-ho has the details.
[Report]
“The Trump administration is considering withdrawing thousands of troops stationed in Korea.” This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing statements from two key officials, early this morning in our time.
These officials revealed that they are considering relocating about 4,500 of the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in Korea to other locations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Guam, which is U.S. territory.
They added that this plan is part of an unofficial review of North Korea policy. However, they noted that this proposal has not yet been reported to President Trump and is one of several options being discussed.
In response to this report, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense reportedly said, “There is nothing to announce.”
Previously, during his first term, President Trump pressured South Korea to increase defense cost-sharing and threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Korea if the demands were not met. He also continued to bring up this issue during his presidential campaign.
[Donald Trump/U.S. President/October last year/Presidential Candidate: “If I had been in the White House now, South Korea would have paid the U.S. $10 billion (about 13.3 trillion won) annually. South Korea would gladly do so. They are a ‘money machine.'”]
However, in light of the ambiguous situation regarding how to handle the war in Ukraine, U.S. officials stated they would not decide on adjusting U.S. troop levels in Korea.
The Wall Street Journal also noted that Korea, along with Japan and the Philippines, has been closely cooperating with U.S. forces, and adjustments to U.S. troop levels in Korea could destabilize these countries and the entire Indo-Pacific region.
This was KBS News, Oh Soo-ho.
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