(Reuters)
SEOUL, May 23 – South Korea’s defence ministry said on Friday that Seoul and Washington had not had discussions about the withdrawal of some U.S. troops stationed in the country.
The ministry made the comment in response to a report by the Wall Street Journal that said the U.S. was considering pulling out roughly 4,500 troops from South Korea.
One option being considered was to relocate some of the troops to other locations in the Indo-Pacific region including Guam, according to the report, which cited unnamed U.S. military officials.
There are currently 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
South Korea would continue cooperation with the United States to maintain a strong combined defence posture in order to deter North Korea, Seoul’s defence ministry said in a statement.
Seoul and Washington agreed on a five-year plan on defence cost sharing last year but U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled that the cost of the U.S. military presence could be up for discussion in ongoing trade negotiations with Seoul.
South Korean officials have so far maintained the position that defence costs are a separate matter from the trade talks.
The Asian country will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to elect a new leader following months of political turmoil that have left a power vacuum as South Korea seeks to negotiate to remove U.S. tariffs on its export-reliant economy.
