President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Aug. 16.AP/YONHAP
U.S. President Donald Trump has again voiced frustration with Korea, about two weeks after publicly taking aim at the country over a phone call with President Lee Jae Myung.
Trump said that the United States spends tens of billions of dollars helping NATO and other countries but receives little help in return, calling Korea a prime "example" of that, in a Fox News interview released Sunday. He singled out Korea even though the question was not about the country.
Trump also took aim at U.S. forces stationed in Korea. He said Korea declined a U.S. request for assistance related to Iran despite the United States having 40,000 troops in the country. About 28,500 U.S. troops are actually stationed in Korea, though Trump has repeatedly inflated the figure.
He went on to argue that the United States had continued to help Korea without receiving similar support in return. He added that he had not pushed hard — he had simply asked whether Korea would join the U.S. effort, and Korea had declined. He added that he would remember that.
The remarks largely repeated comments Trump posted on Truth Social.
"I recently asked the president of South Korea if they would like to join us in the denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'" Trump posted on the platform on Aug. 16.
Trump then ordered the U.S. Department of War to scale back joint military exercises with Korea. The Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was subsequently cut to about half its originally planned duration. Although it was scheduled to run between Aug. 17 and 27, it ended early on Aug. 21.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on Aug. 11.AP/YONHAP
Trump also hinted at possible tariffs or trade pressure over the issue.
He said during the Fox News interview that the United States was “going to make a lot of money, because when they’re not willing to go for you, you just can’t be a stupid person and help them.”
Turning to Canada, which is locked in a tariff dispute with Washington, Trump said the United States loses about $60 billion a year through trade with the country. He questioned why Washington should continue subsidizing Canada and warned that substantial tariffs would follow. He also argued that Canada wants to be treated like a U.S. state despite not being one.
On the November midterm elections, Trump said he expected Republicans to perform well. He accused the Democratic Party of being influenced by what he described as ideas and policies associated with communism — remarks that appeared aimed at left-wing factions within the party, including the Democratic Socialists of America.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
