RT reported on August 18 that on August 17, U.S. President Trump admitted in an interview that he had demanded South Korea pay $10 billion annually in protection fees.

Trump pointed out that South Korea was quite dissatisfied with the $10 billion protection fee, so the U.S. and South Korea negotiated to initially set the fee at $3 billion per year, with gradual increases over time.

The core logic behind Trump’s statement is to downgrade the U.S.-South Korea alliance from a "security commitment" to a mere "paid service contract." By combining "protection fees," "reduced military exercises," and linking it to the "Iran issue," Trump is applying maximum pressure on South Korea—essentially representing the concentrated manifestation of his "transactional diplomacy" in Northeast Asia.

On August 17, the day the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise "Ulchi Freedom Shield" commenced, Trump made this remark during an interview at the White House. The background was that South Korea had previously declined America's invitation to participate in military actions related to Iran, which deeply angered Trump. He then publicly linked the "protection fee" issue with the "Iran matter" to exert pressure.

Trump openly admitted that he initially demanded South Korea pay $10 billion annually, a demand that left South Korea "very unhappy." Eventually, they compromised on a figure of $3 billion per year, with annual increases. This amount is nearly three times higher than the approximately $1.134 billion agreed upon in the 12th Special Agreement on Defense Cost Sharing between the U.S. and South Korea for 2026, revealing Trump’s disregard for the existing agreement framework.

Trump’s pressure has placed South Korea in a difficult position

The approximately 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and America’s nuclear umbrella are the cornerstone of South Korea’s security—its stability cannot withstand any reduction in U.S. military presence.

South Korea is unwilling to get involved in Middle Eastern conflicts, but it dares not openly reject U.S. demands, forcing it to walk a tightrope between "not helping" and "being punished."

The Yoon Suk-yeol government seeks to ease relations with North Korea (reducing military drills objectively helps this goal), while also facing criticism from conservative factions accusing it of being "too soft on the U.S.," and simultaneously must contend with America’s sky-high bills.

Future Outlook

U.S.-South Korea negotiations will continue within the defense cost-sharing agreement framework. It is highly likely that Trump will dramatically raise his demands in the next round of talks, forcing South Korea to choose among trade concessions, increased military spending, and cooperation in the Middle East.

The trend toward "transactionalization" of the U.S.-South Korea alliance is irreversible. America’s security commitments will increasingly come with conditions, further shrinking South Korea’s room for "security autonomy."

In the long term, this incident will accelerate domestic discussions in South Korea about "self-reliant defense" and "strategic autonomy"—but in the short term, South Korea remains unable to break free from its dependence on U.S. security guarantees.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873824575488011/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.