U.S. Congress "Maintains U.S. Forces Korea at Current Level"...Concerns over Trump's 2nd 'Pressure to Increase Defense Expenses'

U.S. Congress Calls on Pentagon to Submit Extended Deterrence Pledge Plan
Trump's 1st 'Limited Articles on Reduction of U.S. Forces in South Korea' cannot be restored
At the time, Trump refused to sign a bill to limit the reduction of U.S. troops in

[Anchor]
Ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump next month, the U.S. Congress has agreed on a defense authorization bill that will keep the size of U.S. troops in South Korea at current levels.

However, there are concerns that the second Trump administration will put pressure on South Korea's defense cost sharing as the clause on the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea is missing.

Reporter Jeong Yu-shin's report.

[Reporter]
It is next year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), jointly agreed by the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services Committee.

"We maintain 28,500 U.S. troops deployed to South Korea and reaffirm our commitment to extended deterrence using all U.S. military defense capabilities," it said.

To that end, the U.S. Congress has asked the Defense Department to submit a specific extended deterrence pledge plan for South Korea by March 1 next year.

It was ordered to include the process of nuclear talks between South Korea and the United States in an emergency, information sharing method, and budget, manpower, and financial resources necessary to strengthen deterrence of expansion.

This is the same expression that has been in the National Defense Authorization Act for several years under the Biden administration.

However, the provision of restrictions on the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea, which was prepared during the first Trump administration, was not restored again this time.

At the time, the U.S. Congress specified the size and stipulated in the bill that Trump would not use the relevant budget to prevent him from reducing U.S. troops in South Korea.

For this reason, former President Trump refused to sign the bill at the time, and Congress re-decided it.

The restrictions were removed as the Biden administration did not cut U.S. troops in South Korea.

Even during this campaign, Trump has compared South Korea to a "money machine" and an ATM, guaranteeing that he will pay 13 trillion won a year, which is nine times the current level.

[Donald Trump/U.S. President-elect (October 15): If I were in the White House, I would have paid $10 billion (W13.5 trillion) a year. It's because Korea is a "money machine."

As a result, when the second Trump administration is launched next month, the Trump risk, represented by the South Korea-U.S. defense cost sharing, is likely to become a reality.

However, foreign media pointed out that Korea's diplomatic security is virtually paralyzed by the impeachment, so it will be impossible to respond quickly to Trump's return.

This is YTN Jeong Yu-shin.

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video;HAN KYUNG HEE