The Ministry of National Defense said on the 23rd that there have been "no discussions at all" between South Korea and the U.S. regarding a report by U.S. media that the Donald Trump administration is reviewing a reduction of 4,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "The U.S. military in South Korea has contributed to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region by deterring North Korean invasion and provocations, maintaining a solid combined defense posture with the South Korean military as a core force of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," adding, "We will continue to work with the U.S. to ensure that it develops in that direction."

On the morning of 23rd, in the city of Dongducheon, Gyeonggi-do, U.S. military combat equipment gathers at the U.S. military base, as U.S. media report that the U.S. government is considering a reduction of U.S. forces in South Korea. /Yonhap News

A defense official noted that the change in U.S. troop levels in South Korea is an issue that requires consultation between the two countries based on the spirit of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and mutual respect, explaining that it must go through processes such as the South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and the South Korea-U.S. Military Committee (MCM).

Earlier, U.S. media outlet The Wall Street Journal reported on the 22nd (local time) that the U.S. Department of Defense is preparing a plan to withdraw approximately 4,500 U.S. troops in South Korea and redeploy them to Guam and other areas in the Indo-Pacific region.

Donald Trump, the U.S. President, indicated a potential reduction or withdrawal of U.S. troops in South Korea while demanding an increase in South Korea's burden-sharing contributions during his first term, but no actual adjustments were made.