Worry about US-SKorea alliance grows before Trump-Kim summit
Posted February 21, 2019 11:44 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Ahead of the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week in Vietnam, some observers say there is an uncertainty over the future of the decades-long military alliance between Washington and Seoul.
Trump’s recent pressure for Seoul to increase its financial contribution to the U.S. military deployment triggered security jitters in South Korea about a possible U.S. troop cut. At the same time, South Korea’s liberal President Moon Jae-in is under fire at home for prioritizing inter-Korean unity over the U.S. alliance.
U.S. defence officials are not planning any troop reductions but some have indicated that they would not be surprised if Trump puts reductions on the table as part of his negotiations with Kim.
The Associated Press
