PPP’s Kim Moon-soo flags potential US troop cut under Trump as key concern

Conservative People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo (left) speaks with James Kim, Chairman and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, during a luncheon hosted by AmCham Korea at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

Conservative People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo on Monday flagged the potential reduction of US troops in South Korea by US President Donald Trump as a key security concern.

“If President Trump calls for an increase in South Korea’s share of the defense burden for the stationing of US Forces Korea, I think a moderate increase is acceptable,” Kim said during a luncheon event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

“But what concerns me is the possibility of a reduction — what if US troops are scaled back or even withdrawn? It is in our major interest to ensure the stable presence of US Forces Korea to the extent that concerns (about their reduction) become unnecessary.”

Kim first raised the issue when James Kim, chairman and CEO of AmCham Korea, asked what "big announcement" he expects Trump to make at this year’s APEC summit hosted by South Korea, if he is elected in the presidential election on June 3.

“As long as US forces are stationed here, the Republic of Korea can maintain peace. This is an extremely important point,” Kim Moon-soo reiterated, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Kim explained that his second major concern is the need for more concrete measures from the US to counter the North Korean nuclear threat.

“I believe we need to strengthen our ability to defend against nuclear threats and respond to North Korea’s blackmail without causing fear among our people. I hope President Trump will present a definitive plan on this issue,” Kim said.

The third concern for Kim is trade and tariff issues between Seoul and Washington.

“If I am elected president, I will visit the US within June to hold an early summit with President Trump and swiftly resolve issues that hinder economic cooperation between our two countries,” Kim said. “I will seek to build consensus through comprehensive negotiations between South Korean and US leaders and find solutions that lead to a win-win outcome.”

Kim repeatedly underscored that the Korea–US alliance is “the cornerstone of our foreign policy and national defense and ... will remain our most important pillar in the future."

“The presence of the US is fundamentally different for the Republic of Korea compared to countries like China, Russia or Japan,” Kim said.