SEOUL/HANOI - The United States on Thursday denied a South Korean news report that it was considering withdrawing up to 4,000 troops from South Korea if it does not pay more for maintaining a 28,500-strong U.S. contingent deterring North Korean aggression.
The report came two days after the United States broke off defense cost talks after demanding that South Korea raise its annual contribution for maintaining the U.S. contingent to $5 billion, a South Korean official said, more than five times what it pays now, in rare discord in the alliance. “We’re not threatening allies over this. This is a negotiation,” he told reporters during a trip to Vietnam.South Korea, which remains technically in a state of war with nuclear-armed neighbor North Korea following their 1950-53 conflict. North Korea has also developed a missile believed to be capable of firing a nuclear weapon at the U.S. mainland.
U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that South Korea pay more - and has also suggested pulling the troops out altogether.This week, as their talks broke down, each side blamed the other for being unprepared to compromise on sharing the costs of the U.S. deployment. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said on Wednesday he believed the United States should have troops in South Korea, when asked if he would advocate for the presence of U.S. military personnel there if he is confirmed as deputy secretary of state.
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