Campbell calls defense cost deal with Seoul 'extraordinarily generous,' hopes Trump gov't will grasp its 'wisdom'

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Monday portrayed a recently concluded defense cost-sharing deal with South Korea as "extraordinarily generous and gracious," and expressed hope that the incoming Trump administration will appreciate its "wisdom."

Campbell made the remarks during a forum amid concerns that after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, he could seek renegotiation of the Special Measures Agreement, a deal that determines Seoul's share of the cost for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea.

"We've recently concluded extraordinarily generous and gracious host-nation support arrangements with both Japan and South Korea, signaling the determination to keep the United States forward-engaged and forward-deployed," he said during the forum co-hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Korea Foundation.

"My hope would be that the wisdom of that would be fully appreciated in a new administration," he added.

Last month, Seoul and Washington struck the deal for the 2026-2030 period, under which Seoul is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.10 billion) in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won in 2025.

During a campaign period, Trump said that if he were in the Oval Office, Seoul would be paying $10 billion per year to maintain USFK personnel -- remarks that raised the possibility that the incoming US government could seek to raise Seoul's financial contributions further.

Campbell also warned that substantially reducing the number of US troops in the Indo-Pacific would run counter to America's strategic interests, while underscoring the "bipartisan" US commitment to the troop presence in the region.

His remarks came amid lingering speculation that under his America First credo, Trump could call for regional allies to take up greater security responsibilities and seek to curtail the US' costly military involvement overseas.

"I think any effort that would look to substantially remove US forces or change the nature of our fundamental commitments to the Indo-Pacific, if that happened at this juncture, I think it would be contrary to American strategic interests," the senior diplomat said.

In a Time magazine interview in April, Trump suggested that the US could pull out its forces if South Korea does not pay more to support the stationing of the USFK personnel -- a stance that has stoked concerns over the future of the longstanding alliance.

Campbell pointed out that one of the "essential features of our ticket to the big game" has been the "bipartisan" determination of the US to remain "forward deployed and forward engaged across Asia."

"At the core of our military engagement are our rock-solid alliances with both Japan and South Korea," he said.

The official highlighted the need for Seoul to engage early with the Trump team and make the case for the importance of a stronger South Korea-US alliance.

"I am very encouraging of President Yoon (Suk Yeol) and his team to get in early, make the argument for partnership, make the argument about why South Korea is such a stalwart friend of the United States and that the United States and ROK can count on each other," he said. "I am hopeful that that takes place and I think that will put us in good stead as we go forward."

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Describing nuclear security challenges from North Korea, China, and Russia as "real," Campbell underlined the importance of America's extended deterrence commitments to regional allies.

"You have a massive build-up on the part of China ... You have a country in Russia that has used nuclear saber-rattling on a regular basis ... and you've got a North Korea that is determined to continue to redefine its nuclear and missile capabilities," he said.

"All those things buffet the strategic consciousness of the countries in the Indo-Pacific and it is essential for the United States to be absolutely rock-solid in our commitment to extended deterrence."

He went on to say that if one country in the Indo-Pacific thought about reconsidering its nuclear options, it would likely lead to "a chain of reconsiderations" across the region.

Touching on how China would view a deepening military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, the deputy secretary noted "concerns" on the part of Beijing.

"It appears in many respects that the dominant relationship that China once enjoyed with the DPRK has been usurped by a more consequential partnership between the DPRK and Russia that has caused some concerns in Beijing," he said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Moreover, Campbell said that Pyongyang's engagement with Moscow is a topic that is "increasingly uncomfortable" for Beijing officials.

"In some of the discussions that we've had, it seems that we are informing China of things that they were unaware of actually with respect to DPRK pursuits," he said. "I think they are concerned that Russian encouragement may cause the DPRK to contemplate either actions or military developments that are not in China's interests."

Campbell pledged that Washington will continue to press China to make the case that what the North has been doing is "destabilizing" and "dangerous."

"I will say (that) even though that is the case, China continues to come back to the sort of worn propositions that it is the failure of the US and other countries to reach out effectively to the DPRK that has led us to the stalemate that we are experiencing right now," he said. (Yonhap)