“Trump considering withdrawing up to 4,000 U.S. troops from South Korea...”
That’s okay..they are just there as a trip wire.
Yup.
True enough.
2nd Infantry Division is smack in the middle of the Chorwan Valley as much to keep the South from going North as to keep the North from coming South.
South Korea would become a fully armed nuclear power if the United States decided to withdraw...followed shortly by Japan and probably Taiwan. It would happen fast - probably before withdrawal is complete - as all of these countries already have nuclear technology and very advanced industrial bases. (And developed designs and dedicated manufacturing resources and stockpiles of uranium and plutonium and ...)
The two countries that do not want the US to withdraw from South Korea are China and Russia. US presence keeps the North Koreans in check while also keeping a lid on the nuclear weapons programs of the three Asian economic superpowers.
The US$5 billion is just the opening negotiating position. The real number is less but it is probably 2 or 3 times what the South Koreans are currently paying.