Korea should be a campaign issue

By Tom Quiner

Time for you to brush up on your Korean War history.

Korea is in the news for many reasons. For one, North Korea is developing missiles that can hit the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. The country is run by an unstable dictator.

For another, two candidates for president are suggesting that we reduce our presence in South Korea. The video above from Prager University provides a concise overview of the Korean War, a war we did not outright win.

Our troop presence on  the 38th parallel has helped to maintain the peace ever since. Donald Trump seems to be critical of our presence:

“We have 25,000 soldiers over there protecting them. They don’t pay us. Why don’t they pay us? We get practically nothing compared to the cost.”

The peace dividend is a tremendous value. And for the record, South Korea does pay us. In 2011, South Korea payed us $700 million for our personnel, construction, and logistics. By 2014, that had increased to $866 million.

Another candidate to be reckoned with is Gary Johnson in the Libertarian Party. In a recent Fox Poll, Mr. Johnson garnered 12% support. If he hits 15%, he’ll qualify for presidential debates with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (should everything proceed as expected), two candidates whose negatives are off the charts.

In that light, Mr. Johnson could be a factor in this election, which brings me to his views on Korea. He calls for a 43% troop reduction in South Korea.

The American people need to understand the high stakes of weakening our presence on the 38th parallel. It is a recipe for disaster.