The Korea Times
U.S. President Donald Trump extinguished hopes for a swift end to the war in Iran in his national address, sending oil prices soaring and asset markets tumbling Thursday. Korea, heavily reliant on energy from the Middle East, is riding rougher waves than most, with President Lee Jae Myung likening the current Korean economy to a "war-like situation" as he asked for swift approval of a 26 trillion won ($17.2 billion) supplementary budget. As the domestic economy declines, snippets of comments Trump put forth Wednesday (local time) tighten the pressure on Seoul regarding energy, security and trade. Trump expressed his frustration with nations including Korea for not dispatching ships and personnel to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closed due to the war in Iran. With the case of NATO, Trump has threatened to exit the group. “You know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” he said during a speech at the White House. While he once again got the troop size wrong — there are around 28,500 U.S. t
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