'S. Korea didn’t help us': Trump’s growing frustration could affect US-Korea security talks

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as if aiming a sniper rifle during a press conference in the White House briefing room Monday (local time). AP-Newsis

Taking issue with the stance of United States allies in the Iran war, U.S. President Donald Trump once again singled out South Korea, barely a week after he first criticized country. Experts warn that Trump’s growing frustration could impact security talks between the two nations.

In a White House press briefing on the war with Iran on Monday (local time), Trump complained that the United States received no help from NATO before singling out South Korea.

“You know who else didn’t help us? South Korea didn’t help us,” Trump said. “We have 45,000 people, soldiers in harm’s way and right next to Kim Jong-un with a lot of nuclear weapons.”

While the actual size of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) stands at around 28,500, Trump has repeatedly cited the inaccurate figure.

He then went on to discuss his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, describing it as “nice” and saying Kim “likes Trump,” before adding that if a certain president had done his job, North Korea would not have nuclear weapons now.

A week earlier, Trump voiced similar frustration with U.S. allies, including NATO members and Japan. Speaking at an Easter luncheon, he criticized South Korea as having been unhelpful in the Iran crisis.

“Let South Korea do it,” he said. “who was not helpful to us, by the way ... you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there right next to a nuclear force.”

Last month, the U.S. asked its allies, including South Korea, to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to help reopen the waterway vital for global oil transit, but most did not comply. Trump’s frustration appears to lie in the view that while the U.S. provides South Korea with extended deterrence against North Korea through USFK, Seoul has not supported the United States in its war with Iran.

Experts fear Trump’s irritation could affect ongoing security negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. over Seoul’s push for expanded authority to enrich and reprocess uranium and to build nuclear-powered submarines.

“U.S. working-level officials at the negotiating table inevitably take Trump’s view of South Korea into account,” a former diplomat said. “There is a possibility of retaliation, with the U.S. deliberately withholding what Seoul wants in the negotiations.”

Experts are also raising another scenario wherein Trump, angered by the attitudes shown by U.S. allies during the war, could unilaterally impose higher tariffs once the dust settles in the Middle East.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.