US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he and South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo discussed Seoul's payment for the United States' "big time" military protection of the Asian ally as they held their first phone call since Trump took office in January.
In a social media post, he said he had a "great" call with Han, during which they touched on a range of issues, including South Korea's "tremendous and unsustainable" trade surplus with the US, the purchase of US liquefied natural gas and bilateral shipbuilding cooperation.
Their conversation came four days after South Korea's Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.
"I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea. We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable Surplus, Tariffs, Shipbuilding, large scale purchase of US LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea," he wrote on Truth Social.
"They began these Military payments during my first term, Billions of Dollars, but Sleepy Joe Biden, for reasons unknown, terminated the deal. That was a shocker to all! In any event, we have the confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries."
Trump added that South Korea's "top" team is on a plane heading to the US for negotiations.
"Things are looking good," he said. "We are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States."
In addition, Trump pointed out that South Korea and other countries are "bringing up other subjects that are not covered by trade and tariffs, and getting them negotiated also."
"'ONE STOP SHOPPING' is a beautiful and efficient process!!!," he said. "China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call. It will happen!"
His remarks signaled that he is looking at comprehensive negotiations that address not only tariff issues, but also other bilateral matters.
His mention of America's military protection of South Korea added to speculation that the Trump administration might seek a renegotiation of a deal on the Asian ally's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea.
In October, Seoul and Washington struck a defense cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA). Under the deal for the 2026-30 period, Seoul is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.03 billion) next year, up from 1.4 trillion won this year.
After the conclusion of the SMA negotiations, Trump, then a presidential candidate, said at a campaign event that South Korea would be paying $10 billion a year for the upkeep of USFK if he had been in the White House. He also described the Asian country as a "money machine."
Many observers have said Trump would likely ask for a rise in Seoul's defense payments as he has called for North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense — much higher than the current 2 percent guideline of the alliance.
The conversation between the two countries' top officials came as Seoul has been striving to minimize the impact of new US tariffs.
Last Wednesday, Trump unveiled reciprocal tariffs, including 25 percent duties for South Korea, as he has been using tariffs to increase federal government revenue, pare down America's trade deficits, draw in foreign investments and boost domestic manufacturing.
The energy sector is an emerging area of bilateral cooperation. During an address to Congress last month, Trump said that South Korea and other countries want to partner with the US in the Alaska LNG project "with investments of trillions of dollars each" — a mention highlighting his hope to encourage their contributions.
The project, estimated at $44 billion, aims to build a 1,287-kilometer pipeline from the North Slope, a proven massive reserve of natural gas, to southern Alaska to transport natural gas that will be cooled to liquid for shipments to Asia. Trump's interest in it came amid his push for America's "energy dominance."
Later in the day, Han's office said that during the 28-minute talks, the acting president expressed hope for Seoul and Washington to further expand and strengthen the bilateral alliance under the Trump administration, as he underscored the alliance is a "foundation" for South Korea's diplomacy and security.
"The two sides reaffirmed their clear commitment to the South Korea-US military alliance and exchanged views on the direction of its continued development," Han's office said in a release.
Moreover, Han highlighted South Korea's will for higher-level cooperation in three key areas — shipbuilding, LNG and trade balance.
"The two sides agreed to continue constructive consultations on economic cooperation matters, including trade balance, at a ministerial level so as to find a win-win way forward," the office said.
On advancing North Korean threats, Han voiced his hope that the two sides will work together to ensure that Pyongyang clearly recognizes the will of South Korea, the US and the rest of the international community for the North's denuclearization is much stronger than the regime's will for the possession of nuclear arms.
"The two sides agreed to continue close cooperation on North Korea policy," the office said.
Han and Trump also agreed to work together to continuously develop trilateral cooperation with Japan, as they shared the view that the three countries' cooperation is crucial for peace, stability and prosperity in the region, according to the office.
Trump held phone talks with former President Yoon soon after his election win in November last year. But no phone calls had taken place between Han and Trump in the wake of Yoon's martial law attempt.
The call between Han and Trump came in the midst of political and diplomatic uncertainties for Seoul as the leadership vacuum has stoked worries over a delay in leader-to-leader engagement with its ally, at a time when it faces a string of issues to address with Washington, from Trump's tariffs to North Korea's evolving military threats.
Han, the prime minister who has been serving as acting president since Yoon was impeached in December, was also suspended for nearly three months after the opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached him. He returned to office two weeks ago as the top court dismissed the impeachment.
There was no contact between Trump and then acting President Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, during Han's suspension. (Yonhap)
