Trump mulls troop reduction in ROK

Pentagon told to prepare options for partial withdrawal, says report

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to prepare options for reducing the number of US troops in the Republic of Korea, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing several people briefed on the deliberations.

Reduced United States troop levels are not intended to be a bargaining chip in Trump's planned summit in late May or early June with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea top leader Kim Jong-un about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, the Times said.