▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to scale down joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises also reflects his frustration over economic pending issues with South Korea, the U.S. political media outlet Politico reported on the 17th, local time.
According to sources, the Trump administration believes that the South Korean government is not speeding up the fulfillment of its promised investments in the U.S. agreed upon in tariff negotiations.
Of the 350 billion dollars promised by South Korea, 150 billion dollars has been allocated for shipbuilding cooperation, but specific investment destinations for the remaining 200 billion dollars have not yet been announced.
One source said, "Negotiations with South Korea are moving slower than the Trump administration expected. They are the slowest negotiating partner we have seen so far."
In the case of Japan, which promised 550 billion dollars in investments in the U.S., six projects have already been finalized.
Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, pointed out that South Korea is treating the U.S. investment issue like a typical, ordinary investment.
Cha said, "South Korea seems to want to nail down every single detail perfectly before making an announcement," adding, "That is not how things work in the Trump administration."
It was also reported that the Trump administration is expressing dissatisfaction with how the South Korean government treats Coupang.
Last June, the Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a total of 624.7 billion won in fines on Coupang, citing reasons such as personal data leaks and the collection of personal information without legal grounds.
A source said, "President Trump likes to use leverage," adding, "Leverage exerts power when it is actually used, and Trump operates that way."
This suggests that President Trump tends to link economic and security issues.
Earlier on the 16th, President Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to significantly scale down the size of the joint U.S.-South Korea drills.
President Trump cited his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a reason, and also brought up the point that the South Korean government did not respond to the U.S. request for support regarding the war in Iran.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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