Should U.S. Troops Help Defend South Korea?

As the war of words between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions on the Korean peninsula this week, how does the U.S. public feel about the prospect of military confict between the two Koreas? According to a poll by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, only a quarter of Americans favored using U.S. ground troops to help South Korea repel an invasion by the North back in 1990.

Since then, support for assisting Seoul with ground troops in the case of invasion has climbed steadily, reaching an all-time high of 62 percent this year. The U.S has a permanent military presence in South Korea with approximately 23,500 service members currently deployed there.