A Looming Threat to US South Korea Alliance

[soryang]

A Looming Threat to US South Korea Alliance
the Hill David Maxwell 1/4

The alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States may be about to go off the rails. Two critical events occurred in December 2018 that do not bode well for the future of this crucial alliance. First, talks between the ROK and U.S. governments collapsed without reaching a new Special Measures Agreement (SMA) to fund U.S. troops on the Peninsula before the current deal expired on December 31...

...Trump seems not to recognize that the ROK makes significant contributions to its own defense. In 2017, 2.7 percent of its GDP went to defense — a higher percentage than any member of NATO except the U.S. Furthermore, the ROK’s 2018 defense budget increased by 9.9 pecent, or $40 billion, the largest in history. It has an active force of 625,000 troops with 28,000 Americans stationed in South Korea. Under the current SMA, the ROK covers half of the roughly $1.6 billion basing cost for American troops, but according to reports, Trump wants Seoul to pay 100 percent.

Yet South Korea already covers more than just annual basing costs. The recently expanded Camp Humphreys is now the largest U.S. military base outside of the continental U.S. It cost some $10.7 billion and the ROK provided 90 percent of the funds. The ROK government also agreed to a renegotiated Korea-U.S Free Trade Agreement, in response to pressure from Trump. Finally, from 2012 through 2016 the ROK purchased $19.8 billion in U.S. military equipment through Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales.

more

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/423756-a-looming-threat-to-the-us-south-korea-alliance

This is a great article because it shows how much the South Koreans contribute to their own defense in contrast to the false characterizations by Trump during his campaign and administration. Both countries need each other in a strategic sense and he's still bean counting when it isn't justified.

[TexasTowelie]

1. Yes, but Kim Jong Un is one of Trump's buddies

and Trump has his orders from Vladdy. First and foremost, Trump is a traitor.