It is all lies according to the ROK Defense Minister:
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday denied recent media reports that the top commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) lodged a protest over the unification minister’s public disclosure of classified U.S. information about a hidden North Korean nuclear facility.
Speaking before lawmakers at a parliamentary session, Ahn dismissed speculation that the U.S. is scaling back its intelligence-sharing with Seoul on North Korea in protest of the alleged leak.
“That is not true at all,” Ahn said, responding to a question by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party. “It would be inappropriate in light of South Korea-U.S. military diplomacy for the USFK commander to have lodged protest with South Korea’s defense minister.”
You can read more at the link, but is anyone buying his claims?
I have literally heard of the U.S. transferring OPCON for over 20 years, so forgive me if this is one of those issues I will need to see before I believe it will happen:
South Korea and the United States aim to meet conditions required for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul no later than the first quarter of 2029, the top U.S. general in the Asian country said Wednesday.
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON from the U.S. before its five-year term ends in 2030.
You can read more at the link.
Cherry blossom trees are in full bloom with N Seoul Tower in the background at Namsan Park in central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
After all the trouble to put the THAAD system in back in 2017 it makes sense that it would not be moved to the Middle East:
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing at the Capitol in Washington, April 10, 2025, in this photo captured from the committee’s website. Yonhap
The United States has not moved its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system from South Korea to the Middle East to support its military operations against Iran, but “munitions” are awaiting transfer there, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said Tuesday.
The general made the remarks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, following speculation that the U.S. military has repositioned or will move USFK assets to the Middle East to back up America’s war efforts against the Islamic Republic.
You can read more at the link.
Like many countries it appears Korea is trying to hedge between the U.S. and China instead of choosing sides:
The United States is ramping up pressure on Korea to stop using Chinese technologies and remove regulations deemed unfavorable to American companies, with a senior U.S. official saying Tuesday that Seoul has to make a choice in the face of adversaries undermining the alliance.
In a prerecorded video at the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea’s (AMCHAM) annual Doing Business in Korea seminar in Seoul, Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State, warned of China’s moves to drive a wedge between Korea and the U.S., calling the world’s second-largest economy “a regional adversary.”
“The Republic of Korea has a choice to make,” he said. “I am confident it will continue to choose trusted partners, transparent systems and technologies that respect privacy, security and the rule of law.”
You can read more at the link.
I am sure South Korea will assist with opening the Strait of Hormuz by writing strongly worded letters to Tehran:
South Korea is considering various options, including playing diplomatic, humanitarian or military roles, to contribute to international efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a senior foreign ministry official said Tuesday.
You can read more at the link.
The fall out from Chung Dong-young’s intelligence leak continues:
The commander of the U.S. military stationed in South Korea, Gen. Xavier Brunson, has lodged a protest against the unification minister’s recent remarks that allegedly leaked classified U.S. information about North Korea’s nuclear facility, a lawmaker said Tuesday.
You can read more at the link, but the ROK government appears to be in sweep it under the carpet mode right now on this issue.
This was a major misstep by Chung:
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Monday his referring to North Korea’s Kusong region as one of the sites hosting the country’s nuclear facilities was intended to explain South Korea’s North Korea policy, expressing regret over allegations that the remarks constituted an information leak. (……)
“I only (referred to Kusong) as part of a policy explanation meant to illustrate the seriousness of North Korea’s nuclear issue. Framing it as an information leak is very regrettable,” Chung told reporters.
The United States has reportedly complained about Chung’s disclosure of the information, which it believes was based on intelligence shared by Washington, and has ceased sharing satellite information on North Korea with Seoul.
You can read more at the link, but Chung claims his statement was based off of open source intelligence and not imagery from the U.S.
