Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Trump's Decision on Kurds Rattles Some in South Korea

William Gallo

   SEOUL - Lee Juhyun contributed to this report.

   U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from
   Syria amid a Turkish onslaught is being watched closely in South Korea,
   where Trump has long hinted at a major military realignment.

   Trump has been accused of abandoning the Kurds, who helped the United
   States fight against Islamic State, by removing 1,000 U.S. troops from
   northern Syria as Turkey carried out a long-planned offensive against
   Kurdish fighters.

   Trump insists he is only trying to fulfill a campaign promise to remove
   U.S. troops from overseas entanglements, framing the Syria decision as
   a pushback against U.S. officials and pundits who support what he calls
   "endless wars."

   That kind of talk is especially relevant for South Korea, which has
   been in a technical state of war with North Korea since the 1950s and
   hosts over 28,000 U.S. troops.

   Trump has criticized the U.S.-South Korea alliance for decades, but the
   relationship has grown more tense as Trump's negotiators engage in
   talks aimed at getting Seoul to pay substantially more for the cost of
   the U.S. military presence in South Korea.

   Though there are significant differences in the situations facing the
   Kurds and the South Koreans, some in Seoul fear Trump's Syria decision
   could offer a preview of what he intends to eventually do in Korea.

   "It certainly sends a message to South Korea regarding cost-sharing
   talks: past loyalty means nothing," said Jeffrey Robertson, a professor
   who specializes in South Korean diplomacy at Seoul's Yonsei University.

   Unprecedented situation

   An editorial last week in the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's largest
   newspaper, drew an explicit link between Trump's "betrayal" of the
   Kurds and his intentions toward South Korea.

   "The Kurds mobilized 150,000 troops to fight against Islamic State for
   the U.S., and more than 10,000 of its soldiers died. The reward for its
   sacrifice was President Trump's betrayal. The main reason for the
   betrayal was money," the editorial read.

   Trump, the editorial continued, also judges the U.S.-South Korea
   alliance based on money, noting the U.S. president has threatened on
   several occasions to withdraw U.S. troops from Korea.

   If Trump's behavior emboldens North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South
   Korea could face an "unprecedented" threat, the conservative paper
   warned.

   Some of Trump's conservative allies in Washington are making the same
   argument.

   "By abandoning the Kurds we have sent the most dangerous signal
   possible -- America is an unreliable ally and it's just a matter of
   time before China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea act out in dangerous
   ways," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a tweet.

     By abandoning the Kurds we have sent the most dangerous signal
     possible -- America is an unreliable ally and it's just a matter of
     time before China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea act out in
     dangerous ways.
     -- Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) [1]October 7, 2019

   'No need to worry'

   Harry Harris, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, attempted to assuage
   those concerns in an interview published Monday.

   Asked whether U.S. allies should be worried about Trump's decision on
   the Kurds, Harris told South Korea's Dong-A Ilbo newspaper there is "no
   need to worry." The United States has a mutual defense agreement with
   countries such as South Korea, he noted, and the U.S.-South Korea
   alliance is "ironclad."

   But Harris' interview also appeared to confirm what many in Seoul fear:
   that Trump wants a five-fold increase in the amount South Korea pays
   for the cost of U.S. troops.

   Harris told the paper that from the perspective of the United States,
   South Korea could be seen as having funded only one-fifth of the total
   defense cost, and that as the world's 12th largest economy South Korean
   should take on a larger share.

   South Korean media have for months suggested Trump is demanding Seoul
   increase its share by five times, but U.S. officials until now have not
   confirmed that figure.

   South Korean officials have reportedly rejected the demand, saying they
   are prepared to engage in "reasonable" negotiations before the current
   cost-sharing agreement expires at the end of the year.

   Alliance strained

   The United States and South Korea faced the same situation last year.
   They eventually agreed to a one-year cost-sharing deal in which South
   Korea agreed to pay eight percent more than the previous year.

   In August, Trump appeared to preempt this year's negotiations when he
   tweeted South Korea had agreed to pay "substantially more money" for
   the cost of the U.S. military presence. Seoul shot back, saying
   cost-sharing talks hadn't even yet begun.

   Trump has also complained about U.S.-South Korea military exercises,
   recently calling the drills a "total waste of money." At a May rally in
   Florida, Trump said that a certain country was "rich as hell and
   probably doesn't like us too much." The comments were widely seen as
   referring to South Korea.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1181205092554493952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

.