There’s a history to what Trump’s up to regarding troops in Korea — SkimNews
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- Jimmy Carter proposed withdrawing all US ground forces from South Korea in 1977, prompting a firestorm; only 3,600 troops were removed before the plan was scrapped in 1979 amid leaked intelligence showing North Korea was stronger than projected.
- Major General John K. Singlaub, chief of staff of US forces in Korea, declared Carter's withdrawal timeline "would lead to war" in a newspaper interview and was reassigned to a US post as insubordination.
- Dean Acheson's January 1950 speech to the National Press Club omitted Korea from America's defensive perimeter in Asia; months later, North Korea invaded the south and 36,913 US military personnel died in the three-year Korean War.
- US troop levels in South Korea fell from roughly 41,000 in the late 1970s to between 23,000 and 28,500 today — possibly the lowest since the Korean War — with further reductions ordered by Eisenhower (to 55,000), Nixon (another 20,000 under the Nixon Doctrine), a 1989 Congress mandate (43,000 to 36,000), and George W. Bush (a brigade redeployed to Iraq in 2003).
- President Trump cited "39,000 soldiers" stationed in Korea guarding South Korea from its "next-door neighbor," a figure the source notes is incorrect given the actual 23,000–28,500 range.
- Congressional opposition that sank Carter's plan is unlikely to materialize against Trump because Republicans hold the majority and the change involves downsizing exercises rather than full withdrawal, the source argues.
Why it matters: Trump's move is less unprecedented than headlines suggest: every president from Eisenhower through George W. Bush attempted drawdowns, and US troop numbers have dropped by roughly half since the late 1970s. The practical difference now is that Trump faces a pliant Republican Congress rather than the bipartisan backlash that forced Carter to retreat after removing just 3,600 troops.
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