US: Japan will double its defense budget, and so should S. Korea

Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, a close confidant of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump who is being considered a candidate for the next secretary of state, said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday (local time) that allies need to step up and strengthen their own (military) capabilities. He also said that Japan is going to increase its defense budget from 1 percent to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), adding that the U.S. needs to go in that direction, and so does South Korea. This means South Korea should increase its military contributions, including increasing its share of defense spending for the U.S. Forces Korea.

“Washington elites don’t know how businessmen negotiate,” Hagerty said regarding the president-elect’s mentioning of withdrawal of the U.S. Forces Korea during his last presidency. “We need to sit down and discuss the options,” he said. Calling the U.S. Forces Korea a significant investment, he said that South Korea is a fully developed country and it’s appropriate for the president-elect to discuss South Korea’s contributions to the U.S. Forces Korea.

During his presidential campaign, Trump called South Korea a “money machine” and claimed that the U.S. protects South Korea, but the country hasn’t paid for anything. He also suggested that South Korea should pay 10 billion dollars toward its share of defense costs.

Bill Hagerty, who served as U.S. ambassador to Japan during Trump’s first term, is known to have a good understanding of South Korea as one of the president-elect’s entourage, having organized a call between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Trump. However, as Trump is speeding up the formation of his second cabinet, his prioritization of the U.S. in foreign affairs and security, including his demand for increased cost-sharing from allies, is becoming more pronounced.


워싱턴=문병기 weappon@donga.com