Seoul Denies Talks on U.S. Troop Reduction in Korea

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, April 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are not discussing drawing down the 28,500-strong U.S. forces stationed in Korea, a Seoul defense ministry official said Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is weighing a possible reduction of American troops in Germany.

Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. is "studying and reviewing" the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with the decision possibly to be made "over the next short period of time."

The remarks followed a Wall Street Journal report that Washington is considering punishing some of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies for turning down his calls for naval assistance to help secure the Strait of Hormuz in light of the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict.

"There have been no discussions at all between South Korea and the United States on the reduction of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)," a ministry official said.

"The primary mission of the USFK is to maintain a robust combined defense posture with the South Korean military to deter and respond to North Korean aggression and provocations," the official said.

"South Korea and the U.S. will continue to consult closely to ensure the stable stationing of the USFK and strengthen their combined defense posture," the official added.

The possibility of a U.S. troop drawdown in South Korea, however, remains, as the Trump administration is pushing to "modernize" alliances by calling on allies to shoulder a greater share of their own defense.

Observers have raised concerns that such U.S. efforts could lead to adjustments in the posture of the USFK, potentially weakening deterrence against evolving North Korean threats.

USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson reiterated in a Senate hearing last week that the troop presence should matter more in terms of its capabilities, rather than over numbers.

Brunson has also underscored the USFK's role in a broader regional context beyond the Korean Peninsula, in what the U.S. sees as part of efforts to ensure greater operational flexibility in the Indo-Pacific region, mainly to deter an assertive China.