ED Trump's real intention
US may use alliance with Korea as leverage
Few South Koreans believe the United States will withdraw its troops from the southern half of the peninsula. This is because the U.S. military presence here is for its own strategic interests rather than the security of its Asian ally. Therefore, many think Washington would keep troops even if the two Koreas are unified.
Despite such a belief, U.S. President Donald Trump made remarks hinting at a troop pullout from the South, although not without a condition. He implied that the pullout may come if Seoul failed to address Washington's trade deficit.
The Washington Post quoted Trump as saying at a private fundraiser in Missouri, Wednesday, “We have a very big trade deficit with them, and we protect them.” He continued, “So we lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military. We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea. Let's see what happens.” (The correct number of U.S. troops stationed in the South is 28,000.)
The remarks unnerved Koreans, although the White House immediately clarified that the president “did not suggest removing American forces from South Korea.” The presidential office reaffirmed that the Trump administration remained committed to improving the U.S.-Korea trade relationship for the benefit of American workers.
The clarification, however, seems to fall short of denying Trump's suggestion that he may link the U.S. military presence to the outcome of trade negotiations with the South. This indicates Washington will use the troop presence as leverage to extract as many concessions as possible by revising the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).
In this context, Trump's allusion to the troop removal is nothing new. During and after his election campaign, he often described South Korea as a “free rider” in the defense alliance with the U.S. He has claimed that Seoul has paid only peanuts for maintaining U.S. forces here. He has also called the bilateral FTA a “job killing” deal.
As far as South Korea is concerned, Trump's top priority is apparently not a security alliance. It is a trade deficit of $23 billion. He wants Seoul to do more to reduce the imbalance and help create jobs in the U.S.
That is why he has decided to impose 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs, respectively, on steel and aluminum imports. He is targeting Korea because it is the third-biggest steel supplier to the U.S. He has already levied steep safeguard tariffs on Korean-made washing machines and solar cells and modules.
Trump's trade protectionism based on his “America first” policy is cause for concern for the Seoul government. The policy increases fears that he might try to cash in on a U.S.-North Korea summit scheduled for May to maximize U.S. interests.
What if Trump tells the Moon Jae-in administration to foot the bill for the outcome of the denuclearization summit?