Seoul says no South Korea-US discussions held over USFK reduction

Seoul, May 23 (IANS) South Korea's defence ministry said on Friday that it has not held any discussions with the Pentagon over the possibility of scaling back US Forces Korea (USFK) troops stationed in South Korea.

The remark came in response to a report by The Wall Street Journal that US President Donald Trump's administration is considering withdrawing some 4,500 troops of the 28,500-strong USFK and relocating them to other locations in the Indo-Pacific, including Guam.

"As the core strength of the South Korea-US alliance, the USFK, alongside our military, has contributed to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and in the region by maintaining a firm combined defense posture and deterring North Korea's invasion and provocation," the ministry said.

"We will continue to cooperate with the US side to advance in such a direction," it said.

A Pentagon spokesperson told that there are no policy announcements to make regarding any potential USFK troop reduction, Yonhap news agency reported.

A defence ministry official also emphasised that a possible reduction of USFK troops on the Korean Peninsula is a matter that mandates consultation between the allies.

"A change in USFK troops is a matter that requires bilateral consultation, based on the spirit of the South Korea-US alliance and mutual respect," a ministry official told reporters, adding such a plan would have to go through certain procedures, such as the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and the Military Committee Meeting (MCM).

SCM is an annual meeting of the defense chiefs of the two nations, while MCM refers to annual talks between the allies' military chiefs.

In October, Seoul and Washington signed the latest version of the five-year Special Measures Agreement (SMA), effective through 2030, under which Seoul is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.1 billion) next year for the upkeep of the USFK, up 8.3 per cent from 2025.

But Trump called South Korea a "money machine," saying that Seoul would be paying $10 billion a year to station the USFK had he been in the White House when he was a presidential candidate.

Since 2008, the USFK has maintained a troop level of 28,500 on the Korean Peninsula, across components of the Eighth Army, the Seventh Air Force, US Naval Forces Korea, US Marine Corps Forces Korea and the US Special Operations Command Korea.

--IANS

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