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Trump accuses S. Korea again of defense free ride in his new book

November 3, 2015
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks about his new book, entitled "Crippled America," at Trump Tower, in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The book speaks directly to voters, making the case that Trump has the experience and business savvy to accomplish things that traditional, all-talk, no-action politicians can't.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks about his new book, entitled “Crippled America,” at Trump Tower, in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The book speaks directly to voters, making the case that Trump has the experience and business savvy to accomplish things that traditional, all-talk, no-action politicians can’t.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) — U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has again accused South Korea of relying on the United States for defense against North Korea without paying anything to the American ally even as the country makes a lot of money.

Trump made the accusations in his new book, released Tuesday and titled “Crippled America,” claiming that countries that depend on the U.S. for protection should pay for the troops and the equipment the U.S. is providing.

Trump has repeatedly made such unfounded criticism, even though South Korea has shouldered part of the burden needed for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea to deter aggression from the communist North.

“We defend Germany, We defend Japan. We defend South Korea. These are powerful and wealthy countries. We get nothing from them. It’s time to change all that,” Trump claimed.

“We’ve got 28,500 wonderful American soldiers on South Korea’s border with North Korea. They’re in harm’s way every single day. They’re the only thing that is protecting South Korea. And what do we get from South Korea for it? They sell products at a nice profit. They compete with us,” he said.

The presence of U.S. troops in South Korea is a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the divided peninsula still technically at war.

Seoul has long shared the cost of stationing U.S. forces.

Last year, the two countries renewed their cost-sharing agreement, known as the Special Measures Agreement, with Seoul agreeing to pay 920 billion won (US$886 million) for the upkeep of the U.S. troops in 2014, a 5.8 percent increase from a year earlier.

Moreover, the American military presence on the peninsula is seen as in line with U.S. national interests in a region marked by a rising China.

One Comment

  1. kle

    November 4, 2015 at 12:57 PM

    US bases in South Korea and Japan are fully funded by Korean and Japanese tax payer; about $10 billion US dollars annually by Japanese and about $10 billion US dollars by Korean Tax payers. Ammo resupply, equipement, training, food, and facilities from every dollar is funded by Korean and Japanese; also note US soliders stay about 8 months in Korea. ON top of that Korean tax pay provide CASH($1Billion US) annually to cover any miscellaneous cost. That miscellaneous money is still in the BANK unused because all costs are covered by Korean tax payers. Trump or “Frump”(Funny Trump) is the biggest LIAR on the US politics. He is so full of “Frump”, it is funny and embarrassing. All this tax payer money every year to support US interest/security in Korea while millions of young Koreans are jobless.

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