Could US troop cuts in South Korea become reality? Seoul on edge before June 3 election
Talk of a possible US troop reduction in
South Korea is fuelling anxiety in Seoul ahead of the June 3
snap presidential election , with analysts warning that Washington's shifting defence priorities could reshape the alliance amid rising regional tensions, posing an early test for the next administration.
With just over a week until South Koreans head to the polls, concerns have been reignited over the long-debated issue of 'strategic flexibility' – the idea that US Forces Korea (USFK) might be redeployed to respond to regional conflicts beyond the Korean peninsula.
Such a shift, some analysts warn, could erode South Korea's deterrence posture against North Korea and entangle it in wider US-China rivalries.
The controversy was stirred by a media report last week suggesting Washington was mulling a plan to reassign some 4,500 of its 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea to other Indo-Pacific locations, including
Guam . The Pentagon swiftly denied the claim.
'Reports that the Department of Defence will reduce US troops in the Republic of Korea are not true,' chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Wall Street Journal, adding that the
United States remained 'firmly committed' to South Korea's defence and to strengthening the 'ironclad alliance'.
South Korean and US soldiers take part in a river crossing operation drill in Yeoju, South Korea, in 2022. Photo: Reuters
Still, concerns persist in Seoul that changes could be coming – and not just under the guise of regional flexibility.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
29 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Not mere pawns' in big power rivalry: Asean asserts agency at Shangri-La Dialogue
Asean defence chiefs emphasised individual agency at the Shangri-La Dialogue, after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Indo-Pacific allies to boost military spending and cooperation to counter what he called the 'real' threat posed by China. Among them was Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, who asserted that his country, a US treaty ally, was not a mere pawn with 'no strategic agency'. Despite China's pursuit of being a superpower, 'we must not overemphasise this reality', Teodoro told a panel at Asia's premier annual security conference on Sunday. 'Doing so unfairly portrays [that] the legitimate actions taken by smaller states [are] being carried out at the behest of major powers, as if we were mere pawns with no strategic agency of our own,' he said, though he also highlighted a deficit of trust with Beijing. On Saturday, Hegseth had raised concerns over Taiwan and the South China Sea as he warned regional defence leaders of the possibly 'imminent' threat from Beijing. However, an observer said those views were unlikely to be fully endorsed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as they still faced economic uncertainties from steep US tariffs under President Donald Trump and sought to diversify trade ties away from the great powers.
HKFP
10 hours ago
- HKFP
China is ‘preparing' to use military force in Asia, US says
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday warned that China was 'credibly preparing' to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia — remarks that earned a sharp rebuke from Beijing. The Pentagon chief was speaking at an annual security forum in Singapore, as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe. China's foreign ministry blasted the speech, saying it had 'lodged solemn representations with the US side' over Hegseth's comments and taking particular exception to his remarks about Taiwan. Trump has launched a trade war with China since taking office in January, sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. 'The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,' Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, attended by defence officials from around the world. Beijing is 'credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific', he said. Hegseth warned that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and 'rehearsing for the real deal'. China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held large-scale exercises around the self-governed democratic island that are often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion. The United States was 'reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China', Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats. In Beijing, the foreign ministry said: 'The US should not try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to contain China and must not play with fire.' 'Stirring up trouble' Hegseth described China's conduct as a 'wake-up call', accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyber attacks, harassing its neighbours, and 'illegally seizing and militarising lands' in the disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit. It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore forum, according to US officials. As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China's military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine 'combat readiness patrols' around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines. Beijing did not send any top defence ministry officials to the summit, dispatching instead a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defence University led by Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng. Without referring to Hegseth by name, Hu said of his speech that 'these actions are essentially about stirring up trouble, creating division, inciting confrontation, and destabilising the Asia-Pacific'. Hegseth's comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had 'violated' a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations. The world's two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days. 'Cannot dominate' Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Asia-Pacific region was 'America's priority theatre', pledging to ensure 'China cannot dominate us — or our allies and partners'. He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Trump's vow that 'China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch'. However, he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and 'quickly upgrade their own defences'. 'Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,' Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move towards Trump's defence spending target of five percent of GDP. 'Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap.'
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea presidential election: can a new leader heal a fractured nation?
On Tuesday, South Koreans will head to the polls to choose the country's new president. The election may draw to a close one of the most chaotic and contentious periods in the country's post-1987 democratic era. Yoon ordered security forces to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, leading to a dramatic late-night confrontation. His unconstitutional decree was overturned after just six hours. The fallout was equally dramatic: Yoon was impeached and removed from office in a drawn-out process that was not finally resolved until April The country, meanwhile, has cycled through three short-lived caretaker leaders.
