Donald Trump, the flamboyant Republican front-runner for the 2016 U.S. presidential election, reaffirmed his claim that the America’s allies are not shouldering what he viewed as a “fair share” of the costs for U.S. military support.



The prominent candidate’s remarks raised speculation in South Korea about the possible changes that the new U.S. administration may bring after November’s elections.



Donald Trump (AFP)

Democrat Hilary Clinton and Trump appear all but certain to clinch their spots as candidates for the upcoming votes. And local observers have begun to wonder if the election of the new leader will prompt any shifts in the South Korea-U.S. alliance.



At the center of such concern is Trump, who has voiced opposition against the U.S. retaining troops in wealthy countries like South Korea and Japan, and even suggested nuclear armament of the said countries to counter threats like that from North Korea.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently ordered his engineers to conduct a nuclear weapons test, touching off speculation that the communist country may carry it out ahead of the May 6 ruling party congress.



Trump on Wednesday said that cost-sharing with the allies was one of the main weaknesses in U.S. foreign policy and that he could pursue U.S. troops’ withdrawal upon being elected unless Seoul agrees to pay more.



“Our allies must contribute toward their financial, political, and human costs, have to do it, of our tremendous security burden. But many of them are simply not doing so,” he said, although he refrained from specifically mentioning South Korea as before.



He denounced U.S. President Barack Obama for watching “helplessly” as Pyongyang expanded its nuclear programs.



The Republican hopeful’s foreign policy ideas have been controversial, even after the real estate tycoon named several of his foreign policy advisers last month.



He has both on Wednesday and in the past indicated reducing U.S. commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Trump had told the U.S. media that he did not want the U.S. to decrease its role, but decrease spending in NATO.



His team of advisers include counter-terrorism expert Walid Phares, energy consultant George Papadopoulos, and former Defense Department inspector general Joe Schmitz and is led by Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions. The senator is well known for his tough stance on immigration, as is Trump.

According to evaluation by the U.S. media, none of the revealed advisers are leading figures in the Republican foreign policy establishment, many of whom publicly opposed Trump.



Hilary Clinton (AFP)