Troop costs, China in focus when South Korea's Lee meets Trump

When South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets U.S. President Donald Trump adjacent week for their archetypal summit, helium volition beryllium asked to wage much for the upkeep of American troops connected the peninsula during talks acceptable to beryllium dominated by information issues and China.

Left mostly retired of the frantic commercialized talks that culminated successful an unwritten woody past month, questions implicit the aboriginal of the South Korea-U.S. confederation and the attack to nuclear-armed North Korea volition beryllium a cardinal portion of the White House discussions, officials and analysts said.

A thorny contented for Lee whitethorn beryllium Trump's propulsion for Seoul to wage importantly much for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed successful South Korea arsenic a bequest of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

A U.S. official, speaking connected information of anonymity, said a cardinal country of absorption would beryllium alleged burden-sharing, and Trump is expected to propulsion the South Koreans for more.

Seoul provides much than $1 cardinal a twelvemonth to enactment the U.S. unit beingness and besides paid to physique the largest U.S. basal overseas, Camp Humphreys, said Victor Cha, of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"But President Trump intelligibly wants more," Cha said, noting his past calls for Seoul to wage $5 cardinal oregon adjacent $10 billion. "He wants defence spending person to 5% of GDP for each allies; South Korea is presently astatine 3.5%."

South Korea wants to modernise the U.S. confederation to accommodate to the changing information situation specified arsenic U.S.-China rivalry and is looking astatine higher defence spending, Seoul's apical information advisor Wi Sung-lac said.

"The contented (spending) is being discussed betwixt South Korea and the United States, and the figures and specified are inactive successful advancement and nether discussion," Wi told a property briefing.

There are discussions wrong the Pentagon astir removing immoderate U.S. troops from South Korea, the U.S. authoritative said.

To caput that off, immoderate astatine the Pentagon are trying to refocus the confederation towards the menace posed by China.

While a batch volition beryllium connected Seoul's willingness, the U.S. authoritative said the tendency was to sermon successful wide presumption however the alliance, and U.S. forces successful South Korea, could beryllium utilized to antagonistic China.

That could bring much headaches for Lee, who has expressed afloat enactment for the U.S. confederation but vowed to instrumentality a balanced attack betwixt Washington and Beijing.

General Xavier Brunson, commandant of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said this period it was not a foregone decision that South Korea would beryllium progressive with immoderate struggle implicit Taiwan, which China claims arsenic its own.

However, helium said determination should beryllium a designation that thing happens successful the portion successful isolation and U.S. troops successful South Korea could beryllium needed to "solve bigger problems".

Asked astir much specified "strategic flexibility", South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it was hard to foretell USFK operations successful a hypothetical situation. "However, the cognition of the USFK is carried retired nether adjacent consultation and connection betwixt South Korea and the United States," a spokesperson said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun successful Washington connected Friday and a State Department connection said the 2 "highlighted the enduring strength" of the seven-decade-old alliance.

It said they discussed "a forward-looking docket that enhances deterrence successful the Indo-Pacific, increases our corporate load sharing, helps to revitalise American manufacturing, and restores fairness and reciprocity successful our commercialized relationship."

They besides reinforced the value of U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation, the connection added.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry connection said beside discussing acme agendas, Rubio and Cho besides evaluated the July tariff statement betwixt the 2 countries and decided to promote ongoing negotiations contempt immoderate issues remaining undecided. It did not elaborate.

Lee and Trump are apt to spot oculus to oculus connected North Korea, with some unfastened to engaging its person Kim Jong Un, and the U.S. president often casting himself arsenic a planetary peacemaker.

However, Pyongyang has rebuffed attempts to revive the unprecedented diplomatic engagement seen successful Trump's archetypal word and doubled down connected its deepening ties to Russia.

"I uncertainty overmuch substance volition beryllium said connected North Korea beyond committing to diplomacy and reiterating a extremity of denuclearisation," said Jenny Town, of the Washington-based 38 North programme, which monitors North Korea.

Lee told a Japanese paper connected Thursday his medication would laic the groundwork to yet dismantle North Korea's atomic weapons programme, done talks with Pyongyang and adjacent practice with Washington.

North Korea has repeatedly said its atomic weapons are not unfastened for negotiation.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho told parliament this week South Korea could besides effort to usage the acme to triumph support to reprocess oregon enrich its ain atomic materials.

Despite speech from immoderate South Korean officials astir the request to attain "nuclear latency", oregon the means to rapidly physique an atomic arsenal, Cho said reprocessing would beryllium lone for concern oregon biology purposes.

Daryl Kimball, enforcement manager of the U.S.-based Arms Control Association, said determination was nary applicable "industrial oregon environmental" request for South Korea to commencement reprocessing, oregon for a home uranium enrichment capableness for its vigor programme.

Both activities are prohibited nether the existent U.S.-South Korea Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation due to the fact that they could beryllium utilized to nutrient atomic bombs, helium said.

"Too galore South Korean politicians are flirting with the thought of their state acquiring the atomic weapons option," helium added.