Trump demands $10B from South Korea amid talks with Kim Jong Un

President Donald Trump told the Pentagon to significantly reduce planned joint military exercises with South Korea on August 17, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as the reason. In the same breath, he renewed his demand that Seoul pay $10 billion annually for the privilege of having roughly 28,500 US troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea currently pays somewhere between $1.1 billion and $1.47 billion per year under existing cost-sharing agreements. Trump wants to multiply that figure by roughly seven to nine times, depending on which end of the current range you use. The exercises, the ask, and the rejection Trump posted on Truth Social that the joint military drills were not only expensive but sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang. The exercises had been scheduled to begin the following day. This announcement came after Trump had recently spoken with the South Korean president, during which he asked Seoul to collaborate on US efforts to denuclearize Iran. South Korea declined that request. South Korea’s government responded by saying it would review Trump’s comments, while expressing cautious hope that the shift might le...