Seoul rejects possibility of reducing U.S. troop numbers in South Korea

On January 6, South Korea’s KBS TV station published an interview with Kim Young-ho. Talking about the U.S. policy toward North Korea, Kim Young-ho said that the "National Defense Authorization Act" passed by the U.S. Congress in December last year stipulates that the U.S. government cannot reduce the number of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea unless approved by Congress. "Therefore, we predict that the U.S. government will The change of leadership is unlikely to lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops in South Korea or the shaking of the South Korea-U.S. alliance." KBS TV station mentioned that some experts in the United States are discussing whether to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power. In this regard, Kim Young-ho claimed that if North Korea is recognized as a nuclear power, South Korea will "have to develop nuclear weapons." He emphasized that recognizing North Korea as a nuclear power and engaging in disarmament negotiations is unacceptable to South Korea and "the United States cannot accept it either."