Report: Trump Orders Pentagon to Consider Troop Reduction in South Korea

President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the Pentagon to consider reducing U.S. troop levels in South Korea. According to The New York Times, the possible reduction is “not intended to be a bargaining chip” ahead of the president’s expected summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump has reportedly long raised concerns about American troop levels on the Korean peninsula, arguing that a large contingent serves little strategic purpose and benefits other countries in the region more. Defense Department spokesperson Dana White tweeted Friday afternoon that the story was “wrong,” and that the president “not asked the Pentagon to provide options for reducing American forces stationed in South Korea.”