South Korea rebuffs Trump's $1 billion use-charge for a US missile-defense system
Thomson Reuters
Trump said that he wanted South Korea to pay for the anti-missile defense system, which he estimates to cost $1 billion, and also intended to renegotiate or terminate a free-trade pact with the country because of a "deep trade decificit," Reuters reported.
When asked when he planned on renegotiating the "horrible" trade agreement, he said, "Very soon. I'm announcing it now."
However, South Korea's defense ministry rebuffed Trump's remarks, saying that there was no shift in the "basic position" and that the US should pay the cost of installing and operating the THAAD, as stated in the Status of Forces Agreement, Yonhap News reported on Friday. The defense ministry reiterated that South Korea merely provides land for the THAAD, and its supporting facilities.
The controversial defense system has been met with opposition not only in South Korea, but in neighboring North Korea and China as well. Several key South Korean politicians view the THAAD not as a defensive measure for their country, but as a liability for further provocations and a step back from a possible reunification with North Korea. China, on the other hand, worries that it would destabilize regional security, based upon the reported 2,000 km (1,200 mile) range of the THAAD.
The system is expected to be operational "within days."
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- 2024 LS polls pegged as costliest ever, expenditure may touch ₹1.35 lakh crore: Expert
- 10 Best things to do in India for tourists
- 19,000 school job losers likely to be eligible recruits: Bengal SSC
- Groww receives SEBI approval to launch Nifty non-cyclical consumer index fund
- Retired director of MNC loses ₹25 crore to cyber fraudsters who posed as cops, CBI officers