Anchor: U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would cut the number of troops deployed in Germany to 25-thousand. While unveiling the plan at the White House, Trump accused Germany of being "delinquent" in its payments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO), and hinted at a possible troop reduction in other U.S. ally countries.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report:
[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
"So Germany's delinquent. They've been delinquent for years and they owe NATO billions of dollars... "
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is going to halve the number of American troops in Germany, blaming Berlin for being "delinquent" in its contributions to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO).
While arguing that Germany has been taking advantage of the U.S. on security and trade, Trump added it’s not the only country he’s got beef with.
[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
“So I said until they pay, we are removing our soldiers ... by about half and then when we get down to 25-thousand, we'll see where we're going... ”
“I‘m not only talking about Germany by the way. I am talking about plenty of other countries.”
Trump's comments at a White House roundtable meeting on Monday came amid concerns that he could do the same with the 28-thousand-500 American troops stationed in South Korea.
Seoul and Washington are struggling to narrow gaps on how much each side should pay for the upkeep of the U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) for this year in their overdue defense cost-sharing talks.
As the Trump administration presses Seoul to drastically increase its contribution, former U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell recently suggested the possibility of a troop reduction on the Korean Peninsula in an interview with German media outlet Bild last week.
He said American taxpayers no longer feel like paying too much for the defense of countries such as South Korea and Japan.
In an online seminar by Quincy Institute last month, President Moon Jae-in's special adviser for foreign affairs and national security, Moon Chung-in, said a gradual reduction of U.S. forces in South Korea could serve as a negotiation card in the denuclearization talks with North Korea.
Some political analysts suggested that if Trump wins his reelection in November, the U.S. may indeed pursue the option of reducing the USFK and declare a formal end to the Korean War in return for North Korean denuclearization.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.