Category: US-ROK Alliance

It looks like there is still some serious concerns from the U.S. on sharing intelligence information with South Korea:

 A senior U.S. official said Friday that Washington expects Seoul to “uphold” the standards of their decadeslong alliance, amid heightened concerns over apparent friction in the countries’ intelligence cooperation.

“We expect the ROK to uphold the standards of our decadeslong alliance, in particular concerning matters of intelligence and counterintelligence,” the senior U.S. administration official told Yonhap News Agency in a written statement, referring to South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea. 

The statement was provided in response to an inquiry from Yonhap News Agency regarding the state of bilateral intelligence cooperation.

The remarks follow growing speculation over bilateral friction after South Korea’s National Intelligence Service acknowledged it was excluded from a June trilateral meeting, also involving Japan, on North Korean cyber threats. Local media reports indicated the agency was left out at Washington’s request.

South Korea and the United States have faced signs of friction in the intelligence field after Seoul Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s public disclosure of a North Korean uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, North Korea in March.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

If this survey was done correctly, this shows pretty broad support for South Korea to build its own nuclear powered submarines:

Nearly six in 10 Americans support South Korea’s project to develop nuclear-powered submarines, a survey showed Thursday, while a strong majority oppose Seoul acquiring nuclear weapons.

The survey, conducted jointly by the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute of America and data analytics firm YouGov among 1,207 American adults from Aug. 21-Sept. 1, found that 58 percent supported South Korea’s development of nuclear-powered submarines, with 42 percent opposing it.

Support was broadly bipartisan, with 56 percent of self-identifying Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans backing the development of the submarines. Among independents, 62 percent expressed support.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like Trump is going to have a long memory if President Lee looks for any favors from the U.S.:

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again singled out South Korea for not helping with his war on Iran, reiterating criticism he has voiced several times in recent months.

“We got very little help from other countries,” Trump said in a primetime interview with Fox News that aired Sunday, as he complained that the United States spends billions of dollars helping other countries without receiving enough support in return.

Trump then pointed specifically to South Korea.

“We helped them, but when it came to helping us, I didn’t put on a heavy sell, but I just said, ‘Would you like to participate?’ and they all said, ‘No, thank you,’” he said. “And I said, ‘I’m going to remember that to myself.’”

Trump went on to suggest the United States should reconsider spending money to help countries unwilling to reciprocate.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is what could be discussed at a possible Trump-Kim summit according to a former Trump official:

President Donald Trump could put on the table the “tacit” acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear program, a peace treaty and an end to South Korea-U.S. military exercises should a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un take place, a former U.S. official has said.

Anthony Ruggiero, who served as the National Security Council’s (NSC) director for North Korea during the first Trump administration,” made the comment in an opinion piece published by The Hill, a U.S. media outlet, on Thursday as Trump recently expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year.

Speculation has continued that Trump could seek a meeting with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, as The Wall Street Journal recently reported.

“Negotiations with Kim will likely include at least a tacit acknowledgement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program,” he said.

Ruggiero went on to say, “In addition to Washington’s acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear program, Trump could offer a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War, a better political and economic relationship, and a permanent end to military exercises with South Korea.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but this guy is basically advocating for the end of the U.S.-ROK alliance. How do you have an alliance that does not do military exercises together?

This shouldn’t be surprising as Trump has often communicated policy via social media:

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Wednesday the government had not been informed in advance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive to scale back combined military exercises.

“Neither our government nor U.S. officials knew what President Trump wrote on his Truth Social,” Cho told the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Unification.

“We were not notified in advance,” he said.

Regarding the reduction of an ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, he said Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back was believed to be in “close consultations” with U.S. counterparts.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It does seem to make sense you want the alternative airfield built before closing Gwangju Airbase, but with the current timeline for closure being 2028 I don’t see how a new base could be built in time:

“Airpower is what North Korea fears most and Gwangju is a base the U.S. military actively uses. It is concerning that the plan is moving ahead on schedule without a clear alternative prepared,” Yang said.

He questioned the timing, suggesting the decision appeared aimed at shoring up political support in the region rather than addressing a defense need. “With Korea-U.S. alliance issues piling up, designating Gwangju specifically suggests the goal is political — holding onto support in that region,” Yang said, adding that pursuing the plan for political reasons is not inherently wrong, but that it becomes a problem when it interferes with matters of security importance.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, noted the base holds significance beyond the immediate peninsula context.

“Sites like the Gwangju base feature hardened aircraft shelters designed to protect fighter jets from preemptive strikes, preserving combat power for counterattacks in a potential U.S.–China conflict. The same logic applies to deterring North Korea, where overwhelming airpower is essential … Joint bilateral consultations are essential to determine the strategic risks,” Park said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Another good sign in the growing cooperation between the ROK and Japan:

South Korea’s top military officer was set to attend a trilateral meeting involving his U.S. and Japanese counterparts in Washington to discuss security cooperation in the face of North Korean nuclear and missile threats, officials said Wednesday.

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung will meet with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Dan Caine and Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, on Wednesday (local time) for a Trilateral Chiefs of Defense (Tri-Chod) meeting, according to the JCS.

Jin arrived in the United States on Tuesday, marking his first trip to the country since taking office in September.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

South Korea is apparently performing well at this year’s RIMPAC exercise:

This photo of Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is provided by the Pacific Fleet. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

A senior U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Sunday he was “extremely pleased” with the South Korean Navy’s performance during this year’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), praising Seoul’s expanded leadership role in the multinational drills.

Rear Adm. Kim In-ho is serving as RIMPAC’s combined maritime component commander, making South Korea the first Asian country and the fourth nation outside the United States to hold the post.

A senior U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Sunday he was “extremely pleased” with the South Korean Navy’s performance during this year’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), praising Seoul’s expanded leadership role in the multinational drills.

Rear Adm. Kim In-ho is serving as RIMPAC’s combined maritime component commander, making South Korea the first Asian country and the fourth nation outside the United States to hold the post.

“We are very happy to partner with the Republic of Korea and Rear Adm. In-Ho Kim and his team. I am extremely pleased with their performance,” Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a written response to Korean media.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Until the fantasy of pushing North Korea to denuclearize is put away, the North Koreans are not going to see any value in negotiations especially when the Russians are meeting all their current needs:

Cheong Wa Dae stated on the 17th (local time) that during the G7 (Group of Seven) summit in Évian, France, President Donald Trump expressed a strong commitment to playing a necessary role in advancing issues related to the Korean Peninsula. This followed President Lee Jae Myung’s request to President Trump to “lead the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue.”

Cheong Wa Dae added that President Trump praised President Lee as a “strong leader” and expressed optimism that the two leaders could jointly contribute to peace and security in the Korean Peninsula region.

No bilateral South Korea-U.S. summit took place during this G7 summit. However, President Lee engaged in a roughly 30-second conversation with President Trump during the group photo session and sat next to him at the official dinner, exchanging discussions on various topics for over two hours.

During the group photo session, President Lee approached President Trump with an interpreter and said, “As you resolved the Middle East war, please lead the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue.” President Trump reportedly responded, “I will strive to resolve the North Korean issue.”

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if the proposed transfer date will be during the Lee presidency or not? If it is then there is actually a chance of this happening. If not the next Korean president could just delay it again like past presidents have done:

The target year for South Korea regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States will be proposed to the presidents of both countries at the end of this year, Seoul’s defense chief said Sunday.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back made the remarks in an interview with broadcaster KBS, as President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has sought to complete the transfer within Lee’s term, which ends in 2030.

“Discussions on the verification of full operational capability (FOC) will take place with the U.S. defense secretary at the Security Consultative Meeting in November and based on this, a proposal will be made to both presidents,” Ahn said. “Then, the year X for wartime OPCON recovery will be decided.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.