ANKARA

South Korea and the US have not held any discussions on the downsizing or withdrawal of American forces in the country, Foreign minister nominee Cho Hyun said Tuesday.

Cho made the comments in a statement submitted to members of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

His remarks came amid continued speculation that President Donald Trump's administration may downsize the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK) or redefine their role to focus on deterring Chinese threats.

"There have not been any issues discussed at all," Cho said.

"The need to retain the USFK at its current level is being widely recognized in the US Congress and academic circles," he added.

Referring to the Trump administration's growing pressure for increased burden-sharing in the upkeep of the USFK, Cho reiterated Seoul's stance that the five-year Special Measures Agreement (SMA) signed last year is not subject to renegotiation.

South Korea will pay $1.1 billion next year for the USFK's maintenance in line with the 12th SMA, which Seoul signed with Washington during the Biden administration for the 2026-30 period.

Reiterating the vision of the administration of President Lee Jae-myung to ease military tensions and build trust by resuming dialogue with North Korea, Cho stressed the need to revive talks between the US and North Korea to resolve Pyongyang's nuclear issues.

"While closely cooperating with the US, the government will work to create conditions for dialogue on North Korea's nuclear issues and promote negotiations between the US and North Korea," he said.