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Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Campbell warns substantial USFK troop adjustment will be 'misinterpreted' as reduced US commitment
A former senior US diplomat cautioned against any substantial adjustment to the US Forces Korea troop level on Wednesday, saying it could be "misinterpreted" as a sign of America's weakened security commitment to South Korea and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Kurt Campbell, who served as deputy secretary of state during the former Biden administration, made the remarks, warning against steps that could lead to a "crisis in confidence," as speculation has persisted that President Donald Trump's administration could consider a drawdown of the 28,500-strong USFK to focus on deterring China. "My worry will be that any substantial adjustment will be misinterpreted ... will be interpreted as somehow the United States reducing its commitment to peace and stability, or raising questions about whether the US is somehow withdrawing from fundamental commitments in the Indo-Pacific," he said during a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Campbell voiced his concerns, portraying collective deterrence between South Korea and the US as an "essential" element in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula at a time when he said North Korea is poised to take "much more" provocative actions, including deploying troops to Russia. "The fact is we were able to work hard with our ROK friends to take some steps to buttress and underscore our continuing commitment to extended deterrence over the Korean Peninsula," he said. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. "I can imagine us taking steps that lead to a crisis in confidence that is very much not in our strategic interest." Extended deterrence refers to the US commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear arms, to defend its ally. The former diplomat underscored the need to bolster military capacity in the Indo-Pacific rather than being distracted from it. "For me, one of the biggest questions and challenges is can the US, over time -- not over one administration, but several -- continue to invest the necessary bureaucratic, political, strategic and military resources to make clear that the Indo-Pacific is going to be the dominant theater for the 21st century?" he said. "If you look today at the disposition of our forces, where we are spending a large amount of our time, you would find again that Europe and the Middle East take a substantial portion of those capacities." At the same forum, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said that the Trump administration's reported consideration of a USFK troop drawdown is a "perfect" way to derail the Seoul-Washington relationship "at a critically important moment" for the alliance. "I think that the next couple of months are vital to really solidifying US-South Korea relations with these two new leaders," he said, referring to South Korea President Lee Jae Myung and Trump. Kim expressed concerns over what he termed a "neo-isolationism" policy of the Trump administration that he said is reducing alliances to "transactional" relationships. The senator also pointed out that failing to treat US allies and partners differently from adversaries and competitors is a "huge" mistake. "I think that this is something that's causing unnecessary friction between us, and our allies and our partners," he said. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the Pentagon was weighing the idea of withdrawing some 4,500 USFK troops to other locations in the Indo-Pacific, including Guam. A senior US defense official later said that the US is looking to calibrate US force posture in Korea to deter China, apparently leaving open the possibility of adjustments to the USFK presence. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Build confidence
Lee should use G7 summit to cement US alliance, free world's trust in Korea President Lee Jae-myung will attend the summit of the Group of Seven advanced countries in Alberta, Canada, from June 15-17. It will mark Lee's debut on the stage of summit diplomacy 11 days after he took office Wednesday. South Korea is not a G7 member state but was invited to participate as an observer. The summit is an opportunity for Lee to start building confidence with leaders of the seven major countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Particularly, his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump will be significant. The presidential office is said to be pushing to hold bilateral talks with Trump on the sidelines of the summit. As Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled to attend the summit, a trilateral meeting among leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan could also be held. Lee had his first phone call with Trump Friday night, three days after his presidential inauguration. Trump congratulated Lee on his election victory, according to the presidential office. But considering that Lee's predecessors first spoke on the phone with US presidents usually on the day they won their elections or the day after, the Lee-Trump phone call came exceptionally late. Shortly after the presidential election, the White House said the US remains concerned about and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world. It is uncertain if the US is suspicious of Lee's past remarks about or attitude toward China. Last year, he said something to the effect that the Taiwan Strait issues are none of South Korea's business. The US alliance, together with three-way cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, is the bedrock of South Korea's national security. Lee should reaffirm and further strengthen the alliance. That's also a way to gain the confidence of G7 leaders. Cooperation with the US across almost all areas, including diplomacy, security and economy, is indispensable for South Korea. If trust is weak between the South Korean and US leaders, it will become difficult to find breakthroughs on key pending issues such as defense cost-sharing and trade negotiations. High-level communications are more urgent than ever to prevent mutual misunderstandings and to keep Korea's security environment stable. Smooth communication stems from unshakable trust among leaders. These days, Washington emphasizes strategic flexibility for US Forces Korea. This suggests the possibility of extending their role beyond the defense of South Korea. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the US has focused all its diplomatic, military and economic strategies on checking China. Seoul used to walk a tightrope between Washington and Beijing in seeking to maximize its national interests, but the Trump administration is not likely to condone such behavior anymore. In addition to a possible one-on-one meeting between Lee and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, the presidential office in Seoul is reportedly pushing for Lee to visit Washington. The sooner he visits Washington, the better, because there have not been summit communications for quite a long time. South Korea was invited to the G7 summit thanks to the country's elevated international stature. This means that it should live up to the free world's expectations. Lee should assure them that South Korea is on the same side as their countries. In the meantime, the country has been invited to the NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24 and 25. The presidential office said that Lee has not yet decided whether to attend it. NATO is strengthening dialogue and cooperation with its four Asia Pacific partners: South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Some of NATO member states are emerging markets for South Korea's defense and nuclear power industries. Maintaining friendly relations with them could be a shortcut to realizing the pragmatism that the new administration claims to advocate. Lee should positively consider attending the summit.
Korea Herald
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Will S. Korea see 'civilian' defense minister?
One of President Lee Jae-myung's key campaign pledges made during his latest run was to appoint a 'civilian' defense minister, referring to a nominee with zero to brief military experience. His pledge came as several high-ranking military officials, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, are currently on criminal trial on charges of conspiring in insurrection and of abuse of official authority tied to impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed Dec. 3 martial law bid. The position is currently filled by acting Defense Minister and Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho, who took on the role following Kim Yong-hyun's resignation after the martial law bid in early December. Lee kicked off the appointment of members of the presidential office and the Cabinet last week, and all eyes are on who will become the next defense minister amid growing security concerns on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's advancing nuclear weapons program, coupled with reports of the Trump administration's potential troop cut of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, has fueled the worries. In South Korea, the position of defense minister has usually been held by a retired four-star Army general or Navy admiral. Of all 50 defense ministers so far, only five held the position without military experience. On top of it, most defense ministers were nominated while in active duty or almost immediately after announcing retirement. Though the moves managed to uphold Article 87 of the Constitution of Republic of Korea, which states that 'No member of the military shall be appointed a member of the State Council unless he (or) she is retired from active duty,' it has been criticized for building a tradition that led to lack of reform within the military. If Lee appoints a 'civilian' nominee, it would mark the first time such a person takes office since May 1961, after former Defense Minister Hyeon Suk-ho, who had no military experience at all, stepped down. Sources close to the matter said that Lee is considering the five-term lawmaker and ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Ahn Gyu-back as a strong candidate for defense minister. Ahn is a former chair of the National Assembly's defense committee and a close aide of Lee. He also led the parliamentary committee probing into Yoon's martial law bid. Though Ahn has completed his two-year mandatory military service from 1983 to 1985, he has no professional military background. Meanwhile, the US law mandates a cooling-off period of seven years between active-duty service and appointment to the Secretary of Defense, aiming to ensure civilian control over the military.
Korea Herald
06-06-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
USFK commander honors Korean War veterans on Memorial Day
\US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson paid tribute to veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War on Friday as South Korea marked Memorial Day. Brunson made the remark as he attended a Memorial Day ceremony at Seoul National Cemetery. "On this solemn occasion when we celebrate not only Republic of Korea Memorial Day, we're also reminded of the 75th anniversary of the UN Command and all the nations brought to bear that Koreans might live with freedom and prosperity," Brunson, who also serves as the UNC commander, said in a video message. "I'm thankful for all the veterans of the Korean War," he said. "I'm also thankful for all the U.N. member states and the sending states for all that they gave in blood and treasure that we might all live free." The UNC was established under a 1950 UN mandate to support South Korea against North Korean aggression during the three-year Korean War, which technically has never ended as a peace treaty was not signed. A total of 22 countries, including the United States, Britain and Australia, sent troops or medical support to the South during and right after the war. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
04-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Bridge divisions
President Lee should integrate nation to overcome security, trade crises Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea was elected president on Tuesday, ending six months of turmoil stemming from his predecessor's botched attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. While South Korea has been embroiled in its own political chaos, the international situation and trade scene changed rapidly. Donald Trump was inaugurated as the president of the United States and US-China relations soured. The US, warning of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, has indicated a possible shift of US Forces Korea's focus. It has also piled pressure on Seoul to shoulder more of the costs for stationing US troops. North Korea has learned modern tactics fighting on the front line with Ukraine and received advanced weapons technology from Russia. The North's threats to South Korea have grown considerably. Washington is closely watching foreign countries' relations with China. Seoul has sided with the US for security while cooperating with China for trade, but it is unlikely that such a stance can be maintained under the Trump administration. China's movements are suspicious. Beijing has installed three large-scale structures within the Provisional Measures Zone of the Yellow Sea. The zone is a shared area where the exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China overlap. The action could be a "gray zone" tactic, or a deliberately ambiguous move aimed at expanding China's maritime jurisdiction. The US-China rivalry for hegemony in East Asia shakes the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. The new government has been given a difficult task to resolve complex diplomatic and security problems. The South Korean economy is in crisis at home and abroad. Its exports fell, impacted by US tariffs. Domestic demand remains stagnant and Korea marked negative growth in the first quarter. It is still a big ask to secure new momentum in high-tech industries, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence. National debt is snowballing. The Lee government should quickly take measures to revive demand and investment. It should also lift restrictions on company activity. Korea was in a state of presidential vacuum for about six months. There were limitations to its responses to security and trade issues. Summit diplomacy is urgent, and its starting point should be a summit with the US. South Korean security issues, such as USFK and North Korea, have become graver than ever. The US reprieve of its "reciprocal" tariffs is set to end July 8. Tariff negotiations should be finished before then. Also on this matter, summit communication will be useful. South Korea-Japan relations are important, too. Lee needs to add to the shuttle diplomacy that the previous governments in Seoul and Tokyo restored after 12 years. If the new government values national interests, there would be no reason to discontinue the summit cooperation mechanism. As for relations with China, many different interests are entangled. It is difficult to resolve them through working discussions alone. It would be worth utilizing the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Gyeongju in late October. Campaigns in this presidential election were fraught with mutual slander and accusations. The election is over, but conflict remains. Healing conflict and integrating people should be a priority for the new president. Past presidents have vowed to integrate people upon taking office, but they failed, surrounded by ardent supporters. The new president should not repeat the mistake of his predecessors. The Democratic Party holds a large majority of seats in the National Assembly. Lee has grabbed both executive and legislative power. Government policies and bills could be enforced quickly. But there is great concern about his leadership becoming dogmatic. The party proposed a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court justices to 30. Lee could appoint all the new justices. The party also seeks to revise related law to invalidate a guilty verdict on his election law violation. The party could practically dominate the judiciary if it so desires. All the people can do is hope the president will not seek greater power. He might as well use his power toward integration. The ultimate way to overcome crises facing the nation lies in becoming a president for all, not only for his supporters.
