This content was first published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
U. S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has reignited argument over security cost-sharing with South Korea, saying that if he were in the White House, Seoul had been paying US$ 10 billion a year to stop U. S. Forces Korea, or USFK, in the country.
The past U. S. government’s remarks come on the heels of a recently concluded security bargain between the two nations, set to increase South Korea’s contributions for defence cost-sharing, but far from the find Trump insists he could reach.  ,
” If I were there now, they’d be paying us$ 10 billion a year. And you know what? They’d be happy to do it”, the former president said during an interview at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday, calling South Korea a “money machine” . ,
” We have 40, 000 forces in harm’s way, very critical, because you have North Korea’s very severe power. They have incredible atomic power”, said Trump. ” I said to South Korea,’ You’re going to paid,’ and they agreed to do it, and Biden therefore cut it back. And it’s a shame”.
Earlier this month, the U. S. and South Korea concluded their conversations over a security cost-sharing package, called the Special Measures Agreement, or SMA, to identify Seoul’s promote of the cost for the maintenance of USFK.  ,
South Korea has partly covered costs since 1991 for Korean USFK employees, including construction of military installations, and other administrative support.  ,
Under the new deal, which will last through 2030, South Korea is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($ 1.14 billion ) in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won in 2025. The agreement ties a yearly increase in the nation’s SMA efforts to the South Korean Consumer Price Index to the SMA.
Although the recent agreement is set to expire at the end of 2025, it was widely reported that both parties felt compelled to conclude it before a potential following Trump administration.
During Trump’s presidency, negotiations over the SMA strained the alliance because he demanded that South Korea pay up to 400 % more for USFK’s presence starting in 2026.
The Trump presidency mainly negotiated the terms of the previous agreement, but it did not become effective until March 2021, just weeks after President Joe Biden took office, allowing the Biden administration to make adjustments that led to the agreement’s last state.
Fears have resurfaced that if Trump is elected in November, he might squeeze for a renewal of the agreement despite the realization of the discussions.
In his autobiography, previous U.S. national security adviser H. R. McMaster stated in August that Trump wanted to pay all fees associated with the establishment of USFK at a significant military base as well as a “profit margin” during his administration.
Individually, in May, Trump made the suggestion that if the Eastern ally did not make more financial efforts to help them, the United States was pull its soldiers out of South Korea.
According to activists, maintaining a sizable U.S. troop presence on the Asian Peninsula is essential to bolstering the alliance between the two countries. They claim that these forces are crucial in deterring possible threats from North Korea as Kim Jong Un’s government continues to increase its nuclear arsenal.  ,
Also, they reinforce the U. S. presence in the region, helping to store China’s growing anger.
However, there has also been local condemnation in South Korea regarding the SMA’s mounting financial burden on the nation, especially given the rising U.S. demand for higher contributions. According to critics, South Korea now covers USFK’s fair share of the costs, and any additional budget increases may strain the country’s finances and stifle public support for the alliance.  ,
Some even wonder whether the funds are used for broader U.S. military purposes or merely serve South Korea’s safety.