Seoul: South Korea and the United States have held no discussions at all over withdrawing or downsizing U.S. troops stationed in the South, Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun said. Cho made the remarks in a statement submitted to members of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho's statement came amid continued speculation that, under President Donald Trump's second term, Washington may downsize the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) or redefine its role to focus on deterring Chinese threats. "There have not been any issues discussed at all," the nominee said, indicating that the allies have not discussed withdrawing or reducing the USFK so far.

"The need to retain the USFK at its current level is being widely recognized in the U.S. Congress and academic circles," Cho also noted. Referring to the Trump administration's growing pressure for increased burden-sharing in the upkeep of the USFK, the nominee reiterated South Korea's stance that the five-year Special Measures Agreement (SMA) signed last year is not subject to renegotiation.

Seoul signed the 12th SMA with Washington during the previous Joe Biden administration for the 2026-30 period, under which Korea is to pay 1.52 trillion won (US$1.1 billion) next year for the USFK's upkeep, up from 1.4 trillion won this year. Once in office, Cho said he will work to establish a joint vision with the United States to advance the South Korea-U.S. alliance into a "future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance," going beyond sector-specific cooperation to expand and balance mutual gains.

Stressing the Lee Jae Myung administration's vision to ease military tensions and build trust by resuming dialogue with North Korea, Cho emphasized the need to revive talks between the U.S. and North Korea to resolve North Korea's nuclear issues. "While closely cooperating with the U.S., the government will work to create conditions for dialogue on North Korea's nuclear issues and promote negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea," he said.