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| Donald Trump |
By Jun Ji-hye
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says that he would support South Korea's nuclear armament and that he would consider pulling out U.S. troops if he became U.S. president.
During an interview with The New York Times conducted Friday, the entrepreneur-turned-politician said he would be open to allowing Seoul and Tokyo to develop nuclear weapons, rather than depending on the American nuclear umbrella for protection against North Korea and China.
If the U.S. "keeps on its path, its current path of weakness, they're going to want to have that anyway, with or without me discussing it," Trump said.
He stressed that Washington would be friendly toward everyone, but would no longer be exploited.
"We cannot afford to be losing vast amounts of billions of dollars on all of this," he said.
The real estate mogul also said he would be willing to withdraw U.S. forces from South Korea and Japan unless the two substantially increased their contributions to the costs of those troops.
"Not happily, but the answer is yes," he said.
About 28,500 American troops are in stationed South Korea to deter North Korean aggression, and about 50,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan.
Trump has previously accused South Korea of relying on the U.S. for its defense while giving the U.S. nothing in return, provoking controversy in Korea.
He argued that Seoul was getting a defense free ride from the U.S., claiming Seoul's contribution to the upkeep of American troops was "peanuts," compared with what the U.S. spent.
But Critics say his views reflect his lack of knowledge about the situation of United States Forces Korea (USFK) here.
In 2014, the allies renewed the Special Measure Agreement (SMA) on sharing the financial burden of keeping U.S. troops in Korea to guard against North Korean threats.
Seoul paid 920 billion won ($790 million) for that year.
The renewed SMA, which will apply until 2018, also stipulates that the amount paid must reflect the consumer price index (CPI), and increase Seoul's cost-sharing every year by up to 4 percent.
Critics say Korea pays nearly 1 trillion won a year in accordance with the SMA for the cost of stationing American troops, and is not getting a defense free-ride from Washington.
They also say Trump's remarks contradict Washington's long-held stance on nuclear non-proliferation in Northeast Asia, and the country's firm commitment to safeguarding its two key allies ― South Korea and Japan ― by stationing troops in those countries.
Ironically, Trump's remarks on supporting Seoul's nuclear armament are in line with those of some conservative lawmakers and experts here.
These include ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul, who has pressed the need for South Korea to arm itself with nuclear weapons in face of growing nuclear and missile threats from the North.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
