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Ruling party lawmaker slams Trump's 'disrespect' for demanding Korea pay more for defense

Published: 10 Jul. 2025, 18:54

KIM MIN-YOUNG
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Jin Sung-joon, chief policymaker of the liberal Democratic Party, attends a meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul on June 18. [YONHAP]

A Korean lawmaker criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for being "disrespectful" for demanding that Korea and other allied countries bear a greater share of their defense costs.

“It is an outrageous and excessive demand that shows no respect or courtesy for an ally,” Korean liberal Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Jin Sung-joon said during a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly in central Seoul on Thursday, referring to Trump’s recent remarks calling for $10 billion in defense contributions from Korea.

“It is deeply regrettable that Trump is either unaware of the facts or is willfully distorting them,” said Jin. He also refuted Trump’s claim that the United States has 45,000 troops stationed in Korea, saying that the actual number is around 28,000.

Trump also claimed that the United States provides military support to Korea for free, but Jin rebutted that Korea pays over 1 trillion won ($728 million) annually in defense cost-sharing. “When accounting for indirect costs such as base provision and the purchase of advanced weaponry, Korea’s burden far exceeds that of the United States,” said Jin.

Jin also challenged Trump’s claim that defense costs were reduced at Korea’s request during the Joe Biden administration, saying, “In reality, the contribution increased and is set to keep rising with inflation.” He urged the Korean government to “correct the United States’ distorted perception” and work together to “set the record straight on the reality of defense cost-sharing.”

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) armored vehicles are seen in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi, on March 10. [YONHAP]

Jin also addressed trade and investment, stating that Trump's past claim that Korea's average tariff rate is four times higher than the United States' is inaccurate.

“Under the Korea-U.S. FTA, tariffs on most goods have been eliminated,” Jin said. “As of last year, the effective tariff rate on U.S. imports was only 0.79 percent. Much of Korea’s trade surplus with the United States is reinvested locally, contributing to U.S. high-tech industries, supply chains and job creation.”

Jin concluded by stressing the need for a “comprehensive package deal” covering tariffs, nontariff barriers and defense costs to ensure a mutually beneficial balance of interests.

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on July 8 as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

“I mean, South Korea is making a lot of money and they are very good,” said Trump, reigniting the issue during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday. “But you know, they should be paying for their military."

"We rebuilt South Korea. We stayed there. It's okay. We rebuilt it," Trump said. "And we stayed there, and they pay us very little for the military."

Trump also referenced the 2019 negotiations for the 11th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) during his first term. "I said for South Korea as an example, you know, we give you free military, essentially very little, and I think you should pay us $10 billion a year," said Trump. "And they went crazy, but they agreed to three.

"So I got three with a phone call and I was satisfied. I said, 'But next year, we have to talk,' and then we had a rigged election and we never got to talk."

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]