Donald Trump, the president of the United State of America demanded that South Korea should give the U.S. more defense costs. It is true that South Korea has got lots of help from the U.S. and has maintained a friendly relationship, South Korea and the U.S. negotiated about defense costs every four to five years. In 2018, it was reported that South Korea had given the U.S. over one thousand and forty billion dollars.

▲ Shaking hands after finishing first negotiation

South Korea and the U.S. proceeded with the negotiations defense cost since last September. In 2018, Trump said that they are losing the deal. Also, he said that it could be a good deal if South Korea pays 60 billion dollars a year for its presence. However, for formality, the annual maintenance cost of the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea is known to be around 4.5 billion, which means that Trump demanded about ten times the original amount. In 2020, the U.S. demanded that South Korea should pay six thousand billion which is nearly six times the amount from 2018. In 2016, Senator John McCain asked the army general Vincent Brooks that is it true that having the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea costs less than having them in the U.S, and the army general's answer was yes.

▲ Defense Cost Increase Rate

Where the defense costs will go? In 2018, the defense white paper explains that the share of defense costs consists of labor costs, military construction costs, and military support costs. Now, where the defense costs will go? Will it be absorbed into the U.S. economy? The White Paper said that most of the defense cost-sharing funds have been returned to the U.S. economy contributing to job creation, developing domestic consumption, and the local economy.

It is true that the U.S. has helped South Korea for a long time. South Korea had experienced dramatic economic, political, and military developments. Also, it is true that for 82 years the U.S. has supported soldiers to South Korea, and they have not gotten many benefits. There is nothing big that South Korea can give to the U.S, but it would be no harm to deploy the U.S troops stationed in South Korea because they could get little benefits like getting diagnostic kits for 2019-nCoV.

May 9th, 2020

By Woo-yeup Kim