Category: US-ROK Alliance

This is pretty much theater leading up to what will likely be a Joe Biden administration cutting a US-ROK cost sharing deal shortly after taking office:

Stalemated negotiations between the United States and Korea over the sharing of costs for the stationing of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) are expected to get a boost, with the U.S. House of Representatives planning to vote on a resolution calling for a strengthening of the alliance with Korea this week.

The resolution, “Expressing the importance of the United States alliance with the Republic of Korea and the contributions of Korean Americans in the United States,” was introduced by Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) in January this year and is expected to be passed at a scheduled House plenary meeting Wednesday (local time).

The resolution, which emphasizes the history and importance of the alliance between the countries in various sectors including national security and trade, is especially drawing attention as it is likely to change the U.S. stance for the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations with Korea. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As long as the Korean left remains in power in South Korea this issue is not going to go away no matter who the U.S. President is:

Despite growing speculation that the United States may play a mediating role in the ongoing dispute between Korea and Japan under the Joe Biden administration, diplomatic experts suspect that the new American president’s brokering efforts will not be as active as some expect.

Tensions between Korea and Japan have shown no signs of abating, sparked by the latter’s imposition of export controls on three key materials critical for the semiconductor and display industries here in apparent retaliation for a ruling by Korea’s Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies to compensate Koreans who were forced to work for them before and during World War II. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

From Yonhap:

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed gratitude to the Combined Forces Command (CFC) between South Korea and the United States for helping Seoul tackle the coronavirus pandemic as he congratulated the command on its 42nd founding anniversary.

In a message sent to a ceremony held in Yongsan to mark the anniversary, Moon said that South Korea’s anti-COVID-19 measures could become a role model for the world as all members of the command endured inconveniences to prevent the spread of the virus. 

“Going forward, let’s overcome all obstacles together as we do right now,” Moon said in the message.

The binational entity was established on Nov. 7, 1978, as the warfighting headquarters with a mission of deterring outside aggression against South Korea.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It makes me wonder how much Huawei technology will end up in Combined Forces Command if South Korea keeps buying tech from them:

A senior U.S. diplomat said Washington would respect the Korean government’s reluctance to force local companies to stop buying network equipment from Huawei.  

And yet Keith Krach, under secretary of state for economic growth, energy security and the environment, continued to cast doubts on the trustworthiness of the Chinese tech company during a press briefing on Friday.  

“The way we would look at it is that we respect the country of [South] Korea, and we respect their decisions. At the end of the day, I think it’s all about trust,” Krach was quoted as saying by Voice of America.  

The U.S. government has asked the Korean government to join its global effort to elbow out Huawei, taking an aim at LG U+, in particular. Huawei has supplied LG U+ with equipment for 4G LTE and 5G networks. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

I have always said that the Korean police can remove these protesters any time they wanted, the ROK government just chooses not to until recently:

The defense ministry on Thursday brought non-weapon materials and construction equipment onto a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in central South Korea after riot police dispersed protesters opposed to the deployment of the American anti-missile defense system.

The shipments transported into the base for the THAAD system in the central town of Seongju, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, included daily necessities for base troops and construction equipment and materials to be used to improve their living facilities, according to the ministry.

Their transportation was completed after riot police dispersed about 70 Seongju residents and civic activists, who had occupied a small bridge leading to the THAAD base from early morning to block any vehicles from approaching the military facility.

The protesters tied themselves up into ladder-like structures installed on the bridge to resist the police and shouted various slogans against THAAD.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As long as the Moon administration is in power I don’t see South Korea getting tough on Chinese aggression in the region:

The United States is raising pressure on Korea to participate in its anti-China alliance, with Washington seeking unity with its allies against Beijing’s assertiveness in the region.

Korea has been reluctant to adopt the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific strategy, aimed at containing China, despite repeated calls from its biggest ally, because a stand against China would come at a large cost, given that it is Seoul’s largest trading partner. 

On Tuesday, Adm. Philip Davidson, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, made a visit to Defense Minister Suh Wook and discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, according to the Ministry of National Defense. 

However, the meeting was seen as unusual given that the 52nd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) was just held a week ago in the U.S., where Suh met with his American counterpart Mark Esper. Davidson also accompanied them. 

In that respect, Davidson’s visit raised speculation that the U.S. would pressure Korea to jump on the anti-China bandwagon although the Korean defense ministry denied it. 

“The U.S. badly wanted to be able to cite Korea’s participation in or support for the anti-China coalition in the joint communique (after SCM), but to no avail,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is pretty obvious what the diplomatic difference between the U.S. and the Moon administration are on declaring the end of the Korean War. The Moon administration wants a Korean War peace treaty regardless of progress on the North Korean nuclear issue while U.S. wants significant progress on denuclearization before reaching a deal:

Suh Hoon, director of the Blue House’s National Security Office, said Thursday that President Moon Jae-in’s proposal to formally end the Korean War is part of the process to denuclearize North Korea, dismissing speculation that Seoul and Washington are at odds over the initiative.    

“It is common sense that the end-of-war declaration cannot be separated from [the denuclearization process],” Suh said during a meeting with reporters in Washington, following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.    

“Pushing for the end-of-war declaration is not a new issue […] It has always been on the negotiation table, and Korea and the United States cannot have different opinions on it.”   

He noted, however, that the issue was not specifically addressed during his U.S. trip.   

“What is important is whether the end-of-war declaration comes first or after denuclearization,” Suh said. “And how strongly it will be linked to the denuclearization process. It is better not to speculate too much.”   

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

The OPCON transfer request by the Moon administration has always been a political goal and not a military one, so whether the ROK military is ready or not is mostly irrelevant:

The latest ministerial defense talks between South Korea and the United States have highlighted that the allies are not on the same page on the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul, and defense cost-sharing for American troops stationed here.

The disagreement occurred during the 52nd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, where Defense Minister Suh Wook met with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. 

South Korea is seeking to regain wartime OPCON of Korean troops from the U.S. by 2022, based on previous agreements that the transition will be made in accordance with the meeting of preconditions, without setting a deadline. To this end, the allies have been utilizing a three-phase verification process of initial operational capability (IOC), full operational capability (FOC) and full mission capability (FMC). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they failed to fully assess the FOC this year. 

“South Korea will make utmost efforts to meet the OPCON preconditions as early as possible and ensure that South Korea-led combined defense posture remains strong and seamless,” Suh said. 

However, Esper stressed the need for South Korea to acquire the capabilities necessary to meet the requirements.

“Fully meeting all the conditions for the transition of operational control to a ROK commander will take time, but the process of doing so will strengthen our alliance,” Esper said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.