US joint military exercise with South Korea in Yeoncheon-Gun, South Korea.
Getty images
Sharing the reception costs of American troops in the Allied countries has been a favorite subject of US President Donald Trump since his first mandate in the White House.
But while more and more countries are trying to conclude an agreement to escape the spectrum of prices in his second term, Trump makes his own movements: grouping trade in trade, prices and defense costs in a single complete agreement, which he called “a one -stop shop”.
One of these countries in its towers is South Korea, which houses around 28,500 American soldiers known as American forces in Korea. On April 8, Trump written about social truth That he had discussed “payment of large-scale military protection that we offer to South Korea”, among other questions, with the president of the time, Han Duck-Soo.
“We talk about other subjects that are not covered by trade and prices, and have them also negotiate.” One stop shopping “is a magnificent and effective process !!!” Trump wrote.
While South Korean officials would have declared that defense payments are out of the tablethe two main presidential candidates in the country, Lee JAE-MYUNG And Kim Moon-SOOsuggested that they are ready to discuss a defense cost sharing agreement.
However, analysts told CNBC that a transactional approach would not necessarily work in favor of the United States.
Pay the contributions
At the Munich Security Conference in February, then-singapore Minister of Defense NG Eng Hen said: “It has been said that trade and security are both sides of the same medal, and it is assumed that, as commercial dependencies change, the security alliances follow.”
But, the image of the United States in Asia, NG said: “went from Liberator to a large disruptor to an owner looking for a rent.”
The American president is likely to provide defense payments in commercial negotiations, a professor of policies analysis, at the Rand School of Public Policy, told CNBC.
“This is the way he does business,” said Bennett. “So it is not as if he really wanted to bring the troops back to the house, but it is a question that he wants recognition and acceptance of the responsibility of our allies,,“He added.
It was the position adopted by us undersecretary to the defense Elbridge Colby, which said in an interview in 2024 That American forces in Korea should be revised to be “more relevant” to manage China, as opposed to North Korea.
One way in which South Korea could “pay more” is to invest in its forces and buy more American military equipment, said Bennett.
This will allow the South Korean army to fill the capacity shortcomings while allowing the American forces of Korea to focus more on China, he added.
“”[If] The Korean government says that we volunteer to … increase our budget by 3 or 4 billion dollars, we will use it to buy equipment so that the United States can have a change of concentration, I think that would greatly contribute to responding to the president’s interests. “”
South Korea spent 2.6% of its GDP in defense in 2024, more than the global average of 2.5%, and one of the highest in the world, according to the International Peace Research Institute of Stockholm.
In 2025, the country allocated 61.25 Billions of South Korean ($ 43.83 billion) For defense, or an increase of 3.1% compared to the previous year.
However, such a transactional approach will harm American credibility, said Hoshik Nam, assistant professor in the Jacksonville University Jacksonville Department of Jacksonville.
The use of the deployment of American forces as a leverage in commercial negotiations could lead to close allies to perceive American and less credible commitments, added NAM.
“In the long term, this position could crop the United States as an isolated superpower.”
How the sharing of loading has evolved
South Korea was not required to make a financial contribution to its initial agreement of 1966 with the United States on the troops stationed in the country, known as Forces status agreement.
Cost sharing has only become one characteristic of the Alliance in 1991, when Seoul accepted to share Part of the burden of the parking of American troops in three areas, namely logistics, local work and military construction.
Nam explained that the rapid economic growth of South Korea in the 1960s has created the conditions for cost sharing.
“The two countries have also agreed that their relationship should go beyond a simple help provider and a beneficiary dynamic,” he noted.
The funds provided by the South Korean government have also created local jobs and helped local industries said Nam.
“With regard to construction, most projects are carried out by Korean construction companies. In terms of logistics, equipment, services and facilities are all provided by Korean companies,” said Nam.
In October 2024, Seoul agreed to increase your contribution For the reception of American troops of 8.3% in 2026, 1.52 Billion de Won ($ 1.13 billion).
However, Trump’s “One Stop Shopping” position to bring together trade with the defense agreements could launch the last cost sharing agreement by the Biden administration in danger, given that the 2024 Agreement covers the period of 2026-2030.
