The defense ministry said Friday that there have been no discussions at all between South Korea and the United States regarding the withdrawal of U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) after a U.S. newspaper reported that Washington is considering withdrawing thousands of troops from South Korea. 

The ministry said the USFK, a key asset of the South Korea-US alliance, has contributed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region by maintaining a strong combined defense posture with the South Korean military and deterring a North Korean invasion and provocations.

The ministry added that South Korea will continue to cooperate with the U.S. in that regard. 

The statement comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the U.S. Defense Department is looking at plans to pull approximately 45-hundred of the 28-thousand-500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and redeploy them elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, with prospective locations including Guam.

A Pentagon spokesperson reportedly said there are no announcements to make regarding the report.