USFK troop drawdown not under discussion between S. Korea, U.S.: defense ministry

“South Korea and the United States are not discussing drawing down the 28,500-strong U.S. forces stationed in Korea, a Seoul defense ministry official said Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is weighing a possible reduction of American troops in Germany. Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. is "studying and reviewing" the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with the decision possibly to be made "over the next short period of time." The remarks followed a Wall Street Journal report that Washington is considering punishing some of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies for turning down his calls for naval assistance to help secure the Strait of Hormuz in light of the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. "There have been no discussions at all between South Korea and the United States on the reduction of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)," a ministry official said. "The primary mission of the USFK is to maintain a robust combined defense posture with the South Korean military to deter and respond to North Korean aggression and provocations," th

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