Trump says South Korea paying more for military protection

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says South Korea has agreed to pay the United States “substantially more” for protection against North Korea. He says talks have begun to further increase payments.

Trump tweeted Wednesday the U.S. “has been paid very little” for decades but last year “South Korea paid $990,000,000.”

South Korea and the U.S. in March signed a deal to increase Seoul’s payments for U.S. troop deployment there from $850 million in 2018 to $924 million in 2019. Asked about the apparent discrepancy between Trump’s tweet and those figures, the White House said it would look into it.

Trump’s financial demands have triggered worries in South Korea he might withdraw some of the 28,500 troops.  

North Korea has been test-firing missiles it says are a warning over U.S.-South Korean military exercises.