Fact Check: Is Trump's claim 45000 American soldiers are stationed in South Korea true?
WASHINGTON, DC: Before the United States and Iran reached a ceasefire deal, President Donald Trump, during his press conference on Monday, claimed that there are 45000 US soldiers in South Korea to protect the US from Kim Jong Un, sparking speculations about the authenticity of the number. Let us analyze and fact-check Trump’s claim.
Claim: 45000 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea
During his press conference on April 6, Trump stated, “I've always said NATO is a paper tiger." You know who else didn't help us? South Korea didn't help us," he added before berating other non-NATO allies, Australia and Japan, for not assisting with the Iran war.
"We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, whom I get along with very well, as you know," Trump said, referring to the North Korean leader.
The president repeated the figure during an Easter lunch event at the White House on April 1 and in remarks on March 16.
The number was widely shared on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram, with some users speculating what Trump’s remarks could mean for US-South Korea relations.
Fact Check: Donald Trump's figure is inflated
However, Trump’s claim of 45,000 US troops being stationed in South Korea is not supported by official data.
Section 1255 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law by Trump on December 18, 2025, said the United States will maintain the presence of "approximately 28,500 members" of its armed forces in South Korea.
According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, which serves under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 26,722 US military and civilian personnel were stationed in the South as of December 31, 2025.
According to the data center, 23,495 are active-duty members, 300 are National Guard members, and 2,927 are civilian employees.
The latest edition of the South Korean defense ministry's white papers, published in June 2023, cites the same figure stated in the NDAA.
Donald Trump takes a jab at Joe Biden
During the press conference, Trump also said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had previously made harsh remarks about former US president Joe Biden.
“He used to call Joe Biden a mentally retarded person, okay? Joe Biden… He said he's a mentally retarded person. He was so nasty to Joe Biden, it was terrible,” Trump said.
Trump made the remarks while expressing frustration over what he described as limited support from US allies in the situation. He named several countries and alliances, saying they had not contributed to military efforts as expected.
