Trump hints at renegotiating defense spending "no longer being exploited"

Trump "42,000 U.S. troops in South Korea...Don't pay for Korea"

Trump "We have to start" ...Refused as a hint of renegotiation

"South Korea is a 'money machine"..."I would have made you pay 13 trillion won"

Biden administration raises contributions...the recent conclusion of a negotiation

[Anchor]
Former President Trump is pressuring South Korea to raise defense costs every day.

This time, South Korea hinted at renegotiating defense costs, saying it is not paying for the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea through negotiations with the Biden administration.

I'm correspondent Kwon Jun-ki from Washington.

[Reporter]
Former President Trump insisted at a Fox News town hall meeting that South Korea does not pay for the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea.

He said that the number of U.S. troops in Korea, which was mainly inflated to 40,000 people, is 42,000 this time.

The actual number of U.S. troops in Korea is 28,500.

[Donald Trump / Former U.S. President] There are 42,000 of our soldiers in Korea. They (Korea) don't pay. I made him pay.]

Trump said negotiations with Biden left South Korea without paying for U.S. troops in South Korea, adding: "We have to start."

If he is elected, he is believed to have hinted at renegotiation.

[Donald Trump / Former U.S. President: Biden negotiated and made South Korea no longer pay. Korea is a rich country. We have to get started. We can't just take advantage of it anymore.]

Trump described South Korea as a "money machine" during a Chicago Economic Club meeting a day earlier and said he would have gotten a lot more defense money if he had been in the White House.

[Donald Trump/ Former U.S. President] If I were in the White House now, I would pay $10 billion a year. They would have been willing to do so. Korea is a money machine.]

Contrary to Trump's claim, South Korea's contribution has increased further under the Biden administration, and the recently concluded negotiations have raised it to 1.5 trillion won from 2026.

During last week's parliamentary audit, the ambassador to the U.S. said he could not rule out the possibility of demanding renegotiation of defense costs if Trump was elected, adding that he would respond based on a reasonable level.

This is YTN Kwon Jun-ki from Washington.

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Video editing: Jung Kook-yoon