A Pentagon spokesman denied Korean media reports that the US was considering withdrawing a brigade from the country.

"The article by Chosun Ilbo said that the US Department of Defense is considering withdrawing soldiers from the Korean peninsula is false," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said on November 22. The US Department of Defense also asked the Korean newspaper to retract the article.

Chosun Ilbo on November 20, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, said the US could withdraw a brigade from South Korea if it refused to pay $ 4.7 billion in security costs. An American brigade in Korea has an army of about 3,000-4,000 people.

South Korea's Defense Ministry also said that the Chosun Ilbo information "does not reflect the views of the US government". South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told the National Assembly that the two sides have not had any discussions about US troops reductions.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper previously said he had not heard of such a withdrawal plan and insisted Washington did not threaten its allies.

The US is deploying a garrison of about 28,500 soldiers in South Korea to protect this ally from threats from North Korea. By law, the US military must not reduce the garrison in South Korea to fewer than 22,000 unless the Secretary of Defense proves the legitimacy of the withdrawal before Congress.

However, the defense relationship between the US and South Korea became tense recently after Washington wanted Seoul to spend US $ 4.7 billion in "protection fees" to maintain its forces there, five times more than the one billion US dollars. previous years.

South Korea objected to the US proposal and officials on both sides held several negotiations but were unable to reach agreement on this issue. By the end of 2018, the US had warned that it would force about 8,700 South Korean employees on US bases in the country to take unpaid leave if a new "protection fee" agreement could not be reached.