South Korea's Defense Ministry said that Seoul has not discussed with Washington the reduction of the US military contingent in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula from 28,500 to 24,000 personnel, Yonhap news agency reported.
“There have been no discussions between the Republic of Korea and the United States on issues related to the withdrawal of the US contingent“, the ministry said. Seoul added that it will cooperate with Washington to strengthen joint defense capabilities and to strengthen peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is considering the possibility of withdrawing about 4,500 of its military personnel from South Korea. They could be redeployed to other parts of the Indo-Pacific region, including Guam. This initiative has not yet been submitted for consideration by US President Donald Trump; It is currently being discussed among senior US administration officials.
The US Department of Defense told Yonhap that it “has nothing to announce” regarding the possibility of reducing the contingent. The agency notes that Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegsett has ordered the development of a new national defense strategy, which should take into account “burden sharing” of costs with allies and confrontation with China. The final draft of the strategy will be presented to Hegsett by August 31.