Trump seems to think Seoul needs Washington when demanding "exorbitant" military contributions, while the United States benefits from its presence in the country.

An unnamed US official last week told CNN that the administration of President Donald Trump had asked South Korea to contribute an additional 400% of the cost of maintaining U.S. forces in the country in the Special Measures Agreement (SMA). ). US Defense Secretary Mark Esper declined to confirm the figures, saying only that they "have proposed to substantially increase the cost of contributing to the military deployment".

South Korean media last week also said that the US State Department adviser in charge of security negotiations James DeHart asked Seoul to spend $ 4.7 billion to maintain Washington's troops and weapons presence in the country, an increase of nearly Five times the number of one billion dollars in previous years, but Seoul objected.

The 10th SMA talks between the United States and South Korea last year ended with a one-year deal, instead of the longer-term deal that the two sides agreed nine times since 1991. This seems to signal. before that the talks this year will be more difficult. However, CNN commentator Jonathan Cristol said Washington's "heavenly" claim was not even a "serious" negotiating condition.

South Korean chief negotiator Jeong Eun-bo said the SMA discussion on November 19 collapsed because "the US side left first" after South Korea refused to pay $ 4.7 billion in "protection fees". In response, US delegation chief DeHart said it "shortened" the meeting to give South Korea time to review Seoul's agreement and proposals "did not meet the requirement of a fair and equitable burden sharing. ".

Cristol said that the US demanded Korea pay an extra "protection fee" is a very disturbing message for all of Washington's allies in the world, as well as a gift to their rivals and even loses Washington's losses.

"Whenever the opportunity arises, Trump seems to always try to mention that allies benefit from the United States. The president kept this position even before coming to power and has been targeting Korea for a long time, because here is a wealthy country that he believes should pay more to be protected by the US However, the US presence on the Korean peninsula is not merely to protect Korea and US forces are not troops mercenary, "said Cristol.

The commentator explained that in fact, Seoul has contributed significantly to the "protection fee", helping Washington save money by its presence in the country. Trump seems to think that if the US withdraws from South Korea, the costs associated with maintaining soldiers will disappear. However, this force always needs support regardless of where they are deployed, including within the United States.

In a 2016 hearing before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, General Vincent Brooks, then being nominated as commander of US forces in South Korea, confirmed sending troops to the US was "definitely" costly. inferior to having them stationed in South Korea. As of 2016, South Korea paid nearly half of all expenses related to the presence of American soldiers and their contribution is now even higher. "An increase of 400% in protection fees will turn the US military into a money-making enterprise," Cristol said.

In addition to financial benefits, maintaining the military as well as joint exercises between Washington and Seoul also provide valuable practical experience for American soldiers, while also affecting the readiness to respond globally. , especially when their war in the Middle East is regressing. The scale of the drills has shrunk after the US-Korea summit in Hanoi in February and may even continue to cool down.

According to Cristol, what's even more concerning is that Trump seems to intentionally destroy long-standing American alliances. "Destroying alliances is always something to be avoided, but this is a particularly bad time to do this," the commentator said.

Tensions between Korea and Japan have escalated, prompting Seoul to end its intelligence-sharing deal with Tokyo. Meanwhile, China and Russia have begun to infiltrate not only within the Korean Air Defense Identification Area (ADIZ), but also into the airspace over the disputed Dokdo / Takeshima island group, prompting fighters. South Korea must fire hundreds of warning shots. In addition, North Korea is constantly testing weapons when the "year-end deadline" they set for the US to remove sanctions is imminent.

A war in East Asia seems unlikely. However, this is due to the presence of the United States in the region as well as successful bilateral relations over the years, Cristol said. "If war broke out in East Asia, the global economy would be ruined and inevitably dragged the United States," the commentator said.

Outside of Korea, the Trump administration is believed to be asking Japan to contribute an additional 300% of the cost, according to Foreign Policy sources. Cristol said the problem is not just money, but the United States also needs to maintain trust as a friend, a partner, as well as a commitment to preserve international order and alliances with countries of common value. Seoul and Tokyo now have the right to doubt Washington's reliability and commitment after such moves.

Countries that shake hands with the US are said to have contingency plans in case Trump is turned away. Some countries may cooperate with China or Russia, while the rest are at risk of arms race, causing tension in the region.

According to Cristol, even if the Trump administration refused to give "ridiculous" claims to South Korea, the US reputation was now compromised and this did not benefit Washington.