The State Department has denied reports published by a South Korean newspaper that the U.S. would be withdrawing 4,000 troops if the key Asian ally didn’t agree to pay more to maintain a deterrent force against North Korean aggression. Currently, the U.S. maintains 28,500 troops in the region. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported an imminent withdrawal of a brigade if Seoul didn’t raise its annual contribution to $5 billion, about five times what it currently pays the U.S. for military support. “There is absolutely no truth to the Chosun Ilbo report that the U.S. Department of Defense is currently considering removing any troops from the Korean Peninsula,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.