The Supreme US military officer visited Soul to interview his South Korean and Japanese counterparts when President Donald Trump grew pressure on his Asian allies about defense and trade expenses.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the common chiefs of staff, spoke with Admiral South Korea Kim Myung-Soo in Seoul on Thursday, Kim’s office said. The two military leaders will join Japanese General Yoshihide Yoshida to a trilateral meeting on Friday.
“They will assess the implementation of security cooperation between these three nations and discuss the ways of further development and maintaining the momentum of cooperation,” the South Korean army said in a statement. Yoshida is the highest Japanese military officer who has visited South Korea in 15 years.
A series of meetings takes place in a difficult time with American allies who face growing Trump pressure to increase their security expenses and reduce the US burden.
At the beginning of this week, Trump said that South Korea should pay more for its own defense after sending letters to Seoul and Tokyo to determine higher tariff rates on their exports. The beginning of higher rates was delayed until 1 August to allow further negotiations.
Sharing the cost of hosting 28,500 US soldiers in South Korea was a bones during the first Presidency of Trump. Referring to their negotiations during the first term Trump said that South Korea “went crazy” when he demanded that the country pay billions of dollars per year for US units placed on its land.
South Korean advisor to the National Security Wi Sung-Lac said both countries are discussing the expansion of the Seoul’s defense in accordance with the global trend. Last month, NATO leaders agreed to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 for the main victory for Trump.
The Trump’s security commitment, an interview on the US considering a reduction in its forces located in South Korea, continues after the Pentagon has denied such a review.
The growing challenge of Trump after an increase in their defense budgets comes when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared as a key ally for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine.
In the latest sign of deepening ties, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will prepare North Korea this week, less than a month after Putin’s highest security assistant, Sergei Shoigu, met Kim in Pyongyang to discuss further deployment of North Korea’s staff.
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(Tagstotranslate) American military officer
