US withdrawal of troops from ROK not discussed with Pompeo: ROK FM

WASHINGTON -- Foreign Minister (FM) Kang Kyung-wha of the Republic of Korea said here on Friday that she and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not talk about the US withdrawal of troops from ROK, which US President Donald Trump has hinted several times.

She made the remarks during a joint press conference following her talks with Pompeo, noting that "the US military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-US alliance first and foremost."

"We are confident of our security through the Korea-US joint security stance, which is why we say the issue of the alliance, any issue of the alliance, including the troop('s) presence in our country, is a matter for our two allies to discuss and not to be put on the table with North Korea," she explained.

Trump hinted in March that Washington was mulling to withdraw its 32,000 soldiers deployed on the inter-Korean border. He also complained about the US obligation to protect ROK even the country enjoys a huge trade surplus against the United States.

US defense chief James Mattis said in April that the United States will discuss with its allies and the DPRK about the remaining US troops on the Korean Peninsula.

However, Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton ruled out the possibility on May 4th, saying the United States has no plans to change its defense posture in ROK.