Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Korean gov't urged to understand potential troop cut as broader US strategic perspective
Military choppers operate over Camp Humphreys, a sprawling U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 22, 2022. Newsis
By Anna J. Park
Amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula driven by North Korea’s growing military threats, a recent report suggesting the United States is considering a reduction of its troops in South Korea is stoking fresh concerns about security on the Korean Peninsula.
Yet, security experts warn against overreacting to fragmented reports, urging policymakers and the public to avoid linking the issue solely to defense cost-sharing or trade negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. governments. Instead, they emphasize the importance of understanding the broader context of the U.S.’ evolving long-term defense strategy.
According to an exclusive report in the Wall Street Journal Thursday (local time), the Donald Trump administration is weighing the possibility of withdrawing approximately 4,500 American troops from South Korea. Citing defense officials familiar with the matter, it states that the troops could be repositioned to other locations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Guam. The proposed reduction would represent around 16 percent of the current 28,500 U.S. troops stationed here.
The report emphasized that the proposal remains in the preliminary stages and has not yet been presented to Trump. When asked to confirm the possible troop drawdown, a Pentagon spokesperson stated there were “no policy announcements to make at this time.”
South Korean defense authorities also said no official talks on reduction have taken place with the U.S.
“The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is a core element of the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. alliance and has contributed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region by maintaining a strong combined defense posture with our military to deter North Korean aggression and provocations,” an official from the Ministry of National Defense said Friday.
“Any changes to the USFK deployment must be discussed through consultations. Even rotational deployments are subject to notification and coordination," the official added.
U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea and Republic of Korea (ROK) Army soldiers are seen during the U.S.-ROK combined exercise Freedom Shield in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, March 19. Yonhap
Security experts emphasized the possible U.S. forces drawdown in South Korea should be viewed as long-term American defense strategy — not as a short-term bargaining chip in political or financial negotiations.
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification told The Korea Times that according to the news report, "it’s part of an ongoing internal review, and we must remember that this is just one of several options under consideration — not a finalized plan."
He also pointed out that the discussion should be understood within the framework of the forthcoming U.S.' National Defense Strategy (NDS), set to be unveiled later this year. The updated strategy is expected to highlight the importance of “strategic flexibility” for USFK, potentially allowing troops to undertake operations beyond the Korean Peninsula.
Hong identified Elbridge Colby, U.S. deputy secretary of defense for policy and a key architect of the 2018 NDS, as a central figure shaping this line of thinking.
Colby has consistently argued that South Korea should assume a greater share of its conventional defense responsibilities. Doing so would free up U.S. military resources to address the growing strategic challenge posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region while still maintaining a credible deterrent against North Korea.
“This proposal isn’t new, nor is it simply a tactic linked to defense cost-sharing or tariff negotiations during the Trump administration," Hong said.
Hong stressed that the strategic shift requires careful assessment from the Korean side as well, particularly regarding its long-term implications.
“If 4,500 U.S. troops were to be withdrawn, it would reduce the symbolic and practical function of the U.S. as a tripwire force. That could send the wrong message to North Korea and China, potentially signaling a reduced U.S. commitment,” he said. “South Korea would need to compensate by upgrading its own deterrence capabilities, which would mean significant investments in weapons modernization and military restructuring. And those investments must be sustained over the long term.”
He also highlighted the potential political impact domestically. “In a politically divided environment, even the perception of a U.S. withdrawal could spark distrust in the U.S.-ROK alliance. That perception could be weaponized politically, which is something we must guard against.”
From the perspective of inter-Korean relations, a smaller U.S. military presence could provide diplomatic room for renewed U.S.-North Korea engagement. It may offer Washington a strategic advantage by lowering tensions without compromising its overall defense posture.
A Patriot missile system is deployed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap
Not all U.S. security experts support a reduction of American forces in South Korea.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on April 10, Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of USFK, both expressed serious concerns. Paparo stated that withdrawing troops from the Korean Peninsula would increase the likelihood of a North Korean invasion, while Brunson emphasized that a drawdown would undermine U.S. deterrence capabilities against North Korea, China and Russia.
Despite the U.S. previously reducing troop levels after the Korean War, the current USFK force of 28,500 has remained stable since 2008. A 2004 agreement initially aimed to lower troop numbers to 25,000 under a broader U.S. strategic mobility plan, but this was later reversed to maintain regional stability.