According to CoinMeta, and as reported by South Korean media, Trump mentioned the defense costs borne by South Korea and its refusal to participate in the Iran war during discussions about the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, expressing his dissatisfaction. He said, "South Korea has been under our protection for decades. During my first term as president, they agreed to pay nearly $3 billion per year as a defense fee. I demanded $1 billion, and they were dissatisfied with that. The agreement we reached was to pay $3 billion in the short term, with an increase after a year and another increase the following year." Trump then claimed, "I watched helplessly as Biden (the former president) withdrew that $3 billion for some unknown reason." Trump also stated, "Recently when I spoke on the phone with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, I said, 'Would you be willing to provide some assistance? We don't need your help with the Iran issue, but if you want to help, then do so.' Then he said, 'We still won't participate.'" Trump continued, "We have deployed 39,000 American troops in South Korea, yet you are not willing to help us in a military operation as straightforward as that in Iran. That's really strange."