Trump: South Korea has stopped paying for its protection

Washington – Agencies: US President Donald Trump accused South Korea of “stopping payments for the protection the United States provides it,” which had been agreed upon during his first presidential term (2017–2021), adding that the agreement was canceled during the tenure of former President Joe Biden. He also revealed that he is holding effective talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, describing them as “very positive.” Responding to journalists’ questions in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We have been protecting South Korea for years, and during my first term, they agreed to pay about $3 billion annually for protection. They were not happy about it, but they agreed. The agreement included a gradual increase in the payment in subsequent years, so they would start paying for the protection.” Trump had previously canceled joint military exercises with South Korea during his first term following discussions with the North Korean leader. He added that the previous US administration canceled his decision, and recounted that he recently asked the South Korean president, during a phone call, whether his country was ready to provide limited assistance on the Iran file, but was refused, with the reply, “No, thank you.” He continued, “I told him, ‘There are 39,000 US soldiers guarding you from your neighbor, Kim Jong Un, and yet you won’t help us in a very easy military operation. That’s strange.’ But he replied that he prefers not to get involved.” Trump added, “We cannot keep protecting all these countries, especially when they are not ready to help us.”