“North’s Land Route Explosion… Only I Can Solve It”,
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump. Photo = AP Yonhap News,
, “Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, referred to South Korea as a ‘Money Machine’ and insisted that it should pay $10 billion annually for the cost of U.S. forces stationed in Korea.”,
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, “On the 15th (local time), Trump spoke at a talk organized by the ‘Chicago Economic Club’ in Chicago, stating, ‘If I were in the White House, they (South Korea) would be spending $10 billion a year,’ calling South Korea a ‘Money Machine.'”,
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, “The $10 billion he demanded is 8.5 times the amount initially negotiated between South Korea and the U.S.”,
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, “Earlier this month, South Korea and the U.S. finalized a defense cost-sharing agreement text, setting the 2026 contribution 8.3% higher than the previous year at 1.5192 trillion won, and agreeing to adjust the contributions annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase rate until 2030.”,
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, “Trump, who had been demanding an increase in defense cost-sharing since his tenure, continues to express his intent to renegotiate this figure ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. In addition to South Korea, he also pointed to Taiwan’s booming semiconductor industry, advocating for an increase in Taiwan’s defense contributions.”,
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, “Meanwhile, in the same talk, Trump also mentioned the destruction of the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line inter-Korean road connections by North Korea. He interpreted this incident as ‘meaning that South Korea is now cut off from Russia, China, and various places in terms of inter-country traffic.'”,
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, “On the same day, he posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, ‘North Korea just blew up a rail line (actually a road) connected to the South. This is bad news,’ adding, ‘Only Trump can fix it.'”,
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