Trump wanted S. Korea to pay all USFK cost plus ‘profit margin’: McMaster memoir

Former President Donald Trump wanted South Korea to cover all costs for the stationing of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) at a key military base as well as a "profit margin" during his presidency, according to a memoir of a former U.S. national security adviser published Tuesday.In the book, titled, "At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House," H.R. McMaster, who served as national security adviser from 2017-18, revealed an anecdote in November 2017, when Trump toured Camp Humphreys, a sprawling USFK base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul.The memoir came amid speculation that should the Republican presidential candidate win the White House for a second term in the Nov. 5 general election, he could employ what is viewed as his "transactional" approach toward alliances."I am sure Brooks was surprised when Trump stated that the agreement should be the equivalent of a cost-plus contract, with the South Koreans reimbursing all U.S. costs plus a profit margin," McMaster wrote in t he book, referring to Gen. Vincent Brooks, who led the USFK at the time.Source: Yonhap News Agency